


Zero

by hyacinth (Lexa_Alycia)



Category: Infinity Train (Cartoon), The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Romance, Everyone gets character development because I said so, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Infinity Train AU, Some Humor, art in chaps 1/2/6/7/9/10, jock!Amity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:13:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 87,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26687968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lexa_Alycia/pseuds/hyacinth
Summary: “If I die, it’s on you,” Amity conceded.“I can live with that,” Luz managed a weak smile.Luz and Amity board the infinity train. Magical hijinks ensue.
Relationships: Amity Blight & Lilith Clawthorne, Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Luz Noceda & Willow Park & Gus Porter, Willow Park & Gus Porter
Comments: 286
Kudos: 442





	1. The Train

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my first time writing a fanfic in a while, and my first attempt at publishing something on AO3. This AU has been on my mind for a while ever since I saw TOH fanart about it. I hope y'all enjoy the story!
> 
> Links to cool fanart: [here](https://whisperingrockers.tumblr.com/post/629720572362981376/infinity-train-au) and [here](https://whisperingrockers.tumblr.com/post/629811331670867968/infinity-train-passengers-and-their-denizens-gus)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 10/22/20
> 
> Artwork by [@ashesofking](https://www.instagram.com/ashesofking/?hl=en) on Instagram

Today was the day. Luz was off to Reality Check Camp for the entire summer, and she wasn’t looking forward to it at all. 

“Luz, estás lista?” Camila called from downstairs.

“Si mamá, ya voy,” Luz replied as she sat up from her bed and stretched. 

After closing a few fanfiction tabs and pocketing her phone, Luz stood from the bed and walked to her desk. With a sigh, Luz grabbed her backpack and took one last glance at her bedroom. It would be the last time she would see it for the next 3 months. She eyed the _The Good Witch Azura_ series stacked on her bookshelf. 

_Hmm… I’ll need something to keep me occupied on the bus…_

After a moment of hesitation, Luz grabbed book 5, tucking it under her arm. It was her personal favorite of the series, she loved the development of Azura and Hecate’s relationship.

_Classic enemies to friends… and maybe even lovers when book 6 comes out!_

Satisfied, Luz took the stairs down into the living room and walked over to the front door where her mom was waiting. 

“Finally! I was beginning to think you got stuck on the toilet or something.”

“Wha- Mamá!” Luz sputtered. 

Ruffling Luz’s hair, Camila opened the door and together they walked to the curb, down the sidewalk before coming to a halt in front of the LAMetro signpost. 

“The bus should be here soon, but I have to get to work now so I can’t see you off.”

“It’s okay, I’ll be fine waiting by myself.” Luz looked down, scuffing her shoes against the sidewalk.

“Luz, look at me.”

Luz looked up, facing her mom. Camila wrapped her arms around Luz and squeezed tightly.

“I know you aren’t excited about summer camp, but give it a chance! It’s an opportunity to finally make some friends and learn something new!”

“Hey! I have friends!” Luz shot back.

“Mija, the librarian at your school does not count.”

Luz scowled as her mom pulled away from her, leaving a kiss on her forehead. 

“Ten mucho cuidado y mandame un mensaje de texto cuando subas al autobús.”

Luz managed a half-hearted smile. This would be the last time she’d see her mom for a while. She didn’t want to leave on a sour note. 

“Okay I will, don’t worry!” 

Camila smiled, waved, and took off down the road towards the hospital. Luz sat down on the bench, setting her book next to her. She watched a bird peck at some trash while fiddling with her watch.

_If the pamphlet is anything to go by, summer camp is going to be completely dull and boring. But, at least I’ll have my book to keep me preoccupied…_

Luz looked up, expecting to see her book still on the bench, but it wasn’t. Confused, Luz stood and looked around. Suddenly, she heard a hoot. Turning towards the sound, Luz gasped. A small brown barn owl had taken her book, holding it inside a drawstring bag with its beak. 

“Thief!” 

With another hoot, the owl turned and sped off into the woods.

“No, no, no! Come back!” Luz called out as she raced after the owl, backpack slung over her shoulder. 

Leaves crunched underfoot as Luz made her way through the trees, swatting branches out of the way. She had been running for a few minutes when she lost sight of the owl. Cursing under her breath, Luz leaned over, hands on her knees to catch her breath.

“Just my luck. Now I’ll have nothing to get me through summer camp.”

Luz stood and turned to walk back to the bus stop when she heard a train whistle. 

_That’s odd… there shouldn’t be a train station anywhere near here._

Now curious, Luz turned again, this time heading towards the sound of the train. She made her way through some foliage until she reached a small clearing. Luz’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

Before her was an old, rusted train with large windows that glowed neon green. The train screeched to a halt right in front of her, the letters above the door changing to _Boiling Isles_. Luz was intrigued. She rubbed her hands together, feeling excited.

“Wow! This feels like the beginning of a magical adventure! And… Mami already thinks I’m going to summer camp… so why not?”

The door slid open. With a grin, Luz stepped inside the train. And then, everything went black.

\---- ---- ----

“Hey.”

No response.

“Hey!”

Nada.

“Wake up you little twerp!”

Luz’s eyes opened and she sat up from where she’d been lying down on the ground. She quickly looked around but didn’t see anyone. Wiping some drool from her cheek, she smacked her lips, her throat was dry.

“Who said that?”

“Up here.”

Luz looked up, and screamed. There was a woman with wild grey hair sitting on a wooden staff several feet in the air looking down at Luz with a dissatisfied expression on her face.

“Who are you? And how are you doing that?!”

“The name’s Eda. And magic, duh.”

Luz sputtered in disbelief, “But, magic isn’t--”

Eda cut her off, “Let me stop you right there. Magic may not be real wherever you're from, but here in the Witch Car it is alive and well.”

“Witch Car? Where am I?”

“Don’t you know? You’re on the train.”

Luz glanced around at her surroundings. She was in a clearing with tall pines and oaks lining the edges. Behind Eda, she could see an odd looking house standing in the distance.

“This is _not_ a train.”

Eda chuckled, “Looks like One-One didn’t give you the orientation video.”

“Who’s One-One? And can you please tell me what’s going on here??”

Eda rolled her eyes, “Look kid, while I get a kick out of seeing new passengers freak out about the train, I have better things to do than hold your hand through this. You’ll figure it out.”

Without waiting for a response, Eda turned and sped off in the direction of the house. Luz watched as Eda reached the bell-shaped house, hopping off the staff and entering inside. 

_Looks like I’m on my own… that’s fine, right?_

Luz rose from the ground, dusting off the dirt from her clothes as she stretched her arms over her head. Thankfully, she still had her backpack. She picked it up and threw it over her shoulder. As Luz observed in her surroundings and deliberated on where to go, her stomach growled. She frowned. 

“First things first, gotta find some food.”

Luz took off in the opposite direction from the house. She walked through the clearing and into the woods, watching her step as she avoided fallen logs, puddles and wet mud. After a while, she came across a signpost. It read: “Welcome to Bonesborough! Population: 4,000”. 

_Bonesborough? Never heard of it._

With a shrug, and hoping to come across some food, Luz continued on. She started to sweat as the altitude changed and she began to walk uphill. After what felt like forever (but was really only like, 10 minutes), Luz reached the top of the hill. A small town was nestled in a valley below her. Luz smiled in relief.

“Yes! Made it!” she pumped her fists in the air and did a little dance. 

As Luz wiped the sweat from her forehead, she noticed her right hand faintly glowing green.

_What the-_

Luz turned her hand over, palm up, and froze. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The number 125 was stamped on her palm, with a bracket surrounding it. Luz tried rubbing it off with her other hand to no avail. 

“What could this mean?”

Deciding not to worry too much about it for now, Luz shrugged and took off down the hill towards the town. Hopefully she’d find some answers for her predicament, along with some much needed food.

\---- ---- ----

Amity was having a bad day. 

First, the bus to school didn’t come on time. She arrived at first period AP English Language 15 minutes late, her hair a mess, and completely out of breath. She avoided the glare Ms. Hoffman leveled at her as she took her seat next to Skara. 

Then, on her way to lunch with Boscha, she noticed people in the hallway eyeing her and whispering to each other. She was confused, but brushed it off as nothing until she arrived in the mess hall and froze.

Pages of her diary were plastered on every wall. At first she was completely mortified, eyes watering with unshed tears, until she noticed Edric and Emira laughing with their friends in the corner of the room. It didn’t take much to put two and two together.

A black eye, a bloody nose, and a pair of bruised knuckles later, Amity was sent home along with the twins. Suspended for the entire last week of classes. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. Now she wouldn’t have to face her peers until next semester, and the rumor mill would surely die down by then.

Odalia and Alador Blight were not pleased.

“We are disappointed in all of you, but especially you Amity,” Odalia said.

Amity’s eyes widened, she looked up from where she had been staring at the hardwood floor while listening to her parents lecture them.

“Are you kidding me? They completely violated my privacy and posted pages of my diary all around school!” Amity fumed.

“And while we do not condone that sort of behavior, you crossed a line by starting a physical altercation with your siblings in the cafeteria. We would like for you to apologize to them.” 

Gritting her teeth, Amity turned towards the twins. Edric was holding an ice pack over his left eye and Emira had tissues stuffed up both nostrils. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“And?” Alador prompted.

“I crossed a line, I shouldn’t have hurt you both. It was wrong, and I won’t do it again.”

“Good,” Alador turned to the twins. “Edric, Emira, don’t you have something to say to your sister?”

“Y’know, nothing really comes to mind-- ow!” Edric rubbed his side from where Emira had elbowed him. 

Amity scowled and crossed her arms, waiting for a response. She doubted anything they had to say would be worth hearing, but the sooner they placated their parents, the sooner she could finally escape to her room. 

After exchanging a look with her brother, Emira said, “We’re sorry. It was wrong of us to steal your diary and expose your private thoughts to the entire school.”

_Yeah, no shit._

Amity nodded, turning away from Edric and Emira to face her parents. She couldn’t stand looking at them for any longer. Amity would admit that while she didn’t always have the best relationship with her siblings, they did manage to have some good times together. 

But this was too much. She couldn’t bring herself to forgive them, this felt like just another one of their practical jokes gone wrong. And they weren’t even sorry, if that forced apology was anything to go bye. It was not much better than her own, and Amity didn’t regret her actions at all, even as her knuckles ached. 

Ed and Em always acted without any regard for people around them, and Amity was done tolerating their nonsense.

Odalia stepped forward, “Now that that’s settled, all of you go to your rooms. You’re all grounded for the next 3 weeks. I hope you take that time to reflect on your actions.”

Amity brushed past her siblings, taking the stairs up to her room and quickly slammed the door shut. Blight Manor was moderately stifling on a good day, and after today’s events, Amity felt like she was being suffocated from all sides. 

_Screw this, I’m going to spend the night at Boscha’s._

Her childhood friend lived in the same gated community, only a 10 minute walk away. And Boscha wouldn’t mind, she knew that Amity would do the same for her.

Amity grabbed her backpack and packed pajamas and clothes for the next day, along with some toiletries. She pocketed her phone and put her ear to the door of her bedroom. Not hearing anything, she opened the door, closing it silently behind her. She made her way down the stairs, heading towards the front door when a voice spoke up behind her.

“Not running away, are you?”

Amity jumped. She turned around to see Edric sitting back comfortably on the couch, his feet kicked up on the coffee table. 

“No. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“You’re right. _But_ I don’t want mom and dad on my back when you’re missing in the morning. Where are you going?” 

“Boscha’s.”

“Aww how cute. Have fun,” he smirked.

Amity turned towards the door again, walking across the room, and placing her hand on the door handle to twist it open when she paused. Without turning around, she called out to Ed.

“Why did you do it?”

There was a tense moment of silence, until Edric responded “Why not?”

Clenching her hands in anger, Amity threw open the door and stomped outside, closing it behind her as she made her across the lawn to the sidewalk. Many thoughts raced through her mind as she set off at a brisk pace to Boscha’s house. 

School had always been a safe haven for her, where she could focus on learning new things and hanging out with her friends. Even with the unbelievable expectations her parents had placed on her to be top of her class while juggling academics, extracurriculars, and helping out at the family business.

School was a place for poking fun at Boscha for failing to flirt with yet another girl, tackling an unsuspecting teammate during rugby practice, and listening to another one of Skara’s tangents about the latest Broadway musical. There were no cold mandatory family dinners, forced conversation, or insufferable siblings messing with her at every turn. It was a place where she felt comfortable being herself, for the most part. But it wasn’t home. 

She would be able to seek refuge at Boscha’s home for the night, but in the morning she’d have to return to Blight Manor before her parents woke up. The thought didn’t exactly thrill her, to say the least. Amity sighed as she turned the corner of the street, and kicked a pebble out of her way as she continued down the sidewalk.

“I wish I had somewhere to go,” she muttered.

Not a second later, she heard a piercing train whistle, jolting Amity out of her thoughts. Looking up, Amity gasped. 

There was a train in the middle of the street. Windows glowing neon green, the door closest to her hissed open as the words above it flashed to _Midtown Library_. Amity couldn’t believe what she was seeing, it felt like she was in some sort of dream. She looked around to see if anyone else was outside, but it was just her. She was alone. 

Hesitantly, Amity took a step towards the train. And then another, and another until she was facing the door. She was suspicious, there was no logical explanation for a train appearing out of nowhere, in a posh gated community no less. 

Yet, she was curious. There was something about the train that drew her in, beckoning her forward. Pressing her lips together in thought, she debated her options. 

_I didn’t tell Boscha that I was coming over, so it’s not like she’s expecting me… But if I step on this train there’s no telling where I’ll actually end up. I could be kidnapped for all I know!_

As if fate, a pin from her backpack fell off, hitting the pavement with a soft ping. Eyeing it, Amity smiled. It was The Good Witch Azura, standing tall and proud as she wielded her staff. 

At that moment, Amity knew what she had to do. While she normally wasn’t one to take risks, Amity felt as if she’d miss a valuable opportunity if she didn’t act now. She carefully picked up the pin, rubbing it with her thumb briefly before pocketing it. 

And then, she stepped onto the train.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/godless_glasses), [tumblr](https://lexa-alycia.tumblr.com), [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/godless.glasses/)


	2. (Dis)orientation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz explores town.
> 
> Amity wakes up. 
> 
> (I'd say more, but spoilers)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Another update. Turns out writing this is more fun than doing homework. Who knew?
> 
> Update 10/14/20  
> [@sparrowhawk-station](https://sparrowhawk-station.tumblr.com/post/631354743851220992/doodle-for-lexa-alycia-s-infinity-train-owl) made cool fanart of a fun scene at the end of this chapter! Check it out after reading :)

The town center bustled with activity. Food vendors haggled with potential customers and people walked from stall to stall browsing the merchandise. Or at least, what looked like people. Upon closer look, Luz noticed that almost everyone had pointy ears, like the elves she read about in _The Good Witch Azura_ series. Touching her own ears subconsciously, Luz pulled up her hood, and made her way to the front of the crowd that had gathered in front of a large fountain gushing with blood red water. 

There she found a small, pig-like demon standing on top of a stack of boxes wielding a megaphone. Arms crossed, the demon scanned the crowd as if looking for someone. 

Luz gasped, “Woah! A magical creature!”

Flyers were being passed around to people in the crowd. Curious, Luz took one. It read:

**Come one, come all to the event of the season!**

**Tibbles’ Tiny Terrors will be on display for 1 night only!**

**_Purchase of ticket required for entry. No refunds under any circumstances._ **

Luz hummed, “Hmm… this sounds cool!” She walked over to Tibbles, waving the flyer as she asked, “Hiya! Where can I get a ticket?” Tibbles turned, facing her with a grin on his face.

“Right here! It’ll be 30 snails. You can also purchase a limited edition t-shirt for an additional 15 snails.”

Luz frowned, “Uhm, I don’t have that… currency. Do you take this?” Luz reached into her pocket, pulling out her wallet, and offered him a $50 dollar bill. Upon seeing her glowing hand, Tibbles’ eyes narrowed, and he wrinkled his nose.

“Ugh, a _passenger_. Beat it kid, you don’t have anything of value to offer me.” He sniffed and walked off. 

Luz scowled, “Well that was rude!” 

With a huff, she turned away from the fountain and made her way through the crowd again. Once Luz broke through, she looked around, weighing her options. Deciding to leave the market and explore more of town, she took off up the street towards a bell tower. 

_Judging by the way that lady and the demon-pig treated me it seems like passengers aren’t very liked here. I wonder why…_

Lost in thought, Luz didn’t notice the person standing in front of her until too late. She bumped into them, stumbling a bit before catching herself. The person wasn’t as lucky, and they fell to the ground with a thud.

“Ah!”

Luz’s hands jumped to her face, “Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! Here, let me help you up.” 

Crouching slightly, she offered a hand to them. They took it and stood up, dusting off their pants. Luz took in their appearance, and when she noticed their round ears she smiled.

“Hey! You’re a human too!”

Raising an eyebrow, they replied “Uh... yeah.”

Undeterred by their flat response, Luz exclaimed, “It’s so nice to finally see another human around here! I’m Luz! I’m kinda new here and don’t know what’s going on at all. Apparently we’re on a train? But this doesn’t look or feel like a train? Anyway, what’s your name?”

“Willow.” She said stiffly, shifting uncomfortably on her feet. 

“Well Willow, it’s lovely to meet you! Do you think you could help me out?”

Before she could respond, a young boy appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. He held two steaming chicken skewers in his hands.

“Hey Willow! Look what I found!” He came to a stop in front of Luz and Willow, eyes shifting between them. “Uh, who’s this?”

“A new passenger.” Willow replied, crossing her arms and leaning back on one foot.

“Oh cool! I’m Gus! It’s nice to meet you… uh…” He stumbled, looking to Willow for guidance. 

With a roll of her eyes, she said “Her name is Luz.”

“Right! Luz! Well, I see that you’ve met Willow! Don’t worry about her standoffish attitude. she’s a bit prickly until you get to know her.” Gus smiled as Willow huffed at him.

He handed off one of the skewers to Willow, who bit into it right away. Staring at the food before her, Luz’s mouth watered and her stomach grumbled again. 

Gus took notice and chuckled nervously, “Uh sorry, I only grabbed 2.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. 

Luz snapped out of her hunger induced stupor, wiping the drool that had been gathering at the corner of her mouth, “Oh no, it’s alright! I just haven’t eaten in a while. And I have no money, so I can’t buy anything.”

Lines forming between his eyebrows, Gus replied, “You don’t need money to buy food. All passengers are entitled to three meals a day, free of charge.”

Luz’s jaw dropped, “Are you kidding me? That’s amazing! Is there anything else I should know? I think I missed orientation.”

Gus exchanged a glance with Willow. Willow shook her head disapprovingly, but she couldn’t say no to Gus once he pulled the puppy-dog eyes on her. She conceded her defeat with another bite of chicken, rolling her eyes. Triumphant, Gus turned back to Luz.

“Alright, let’s go sit down somewhere. This is going to take a minute.”

Luz grinned and clapped her hands together excitedly, “Thank you thank you thank you! And, uh, is there any chance we can stop by somewhere for food on the way?”

\---- ---- ----

_Beep. Beep. Beep. BEEP! System automated. Initiate passenger #35712151617 orientation._

Amity woke with a start. She was lying down in a small, tubular container of sorts, with no exit in sight. Dark walls surrounded her on all sides. She blinked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion as a small screen embedded in the wall whirred to life in front of her.

_What the-_

A white spherical robot with a black stripe around its center, and small mechanical legs appeared on the screen. 

“Welcome aboard new passenger! My name is One-One and I’ll be your conductor for the duration of your stay!” 

Without any warning, the robot proceeded to split into two, with one half of the robot moving up closer to the camera.

“And when I separate, One-One becomes Glad-One and Sad-One! Isn’t that exciting?” Glad-One exclaimed.

“No.” Sad-One replied, monotone.

Glad-One continued, “The train is filled with all sorts of things that help you learn about yourself and grow as a person. For trainsample, you could see a car full of stuffed animals or a more dangerous car filled with horrible nightmare monsters!” 

“Statistically, you're more likely to fall off the train and die alone,” Sad-One added.

The screen changed to a lit up multi-colored display, the audio hissing with static before it transitioned to One-One once more, this time donning a conductor’s hat.

“And how about that green number on your palm? Pretty cool, huh?”

“Every passenger has one,” Sad-One stated flatly.

“The numbers are made by the train, based on your life in order for you to have the most personalized experience we can offer.”

The screen changed again, this time displaying One-One standing on a wooden desk and wearing a purple wizard’s hat.

“This is where the magic happens!” Glad-One twirled around in excitement.  
  
“And by that, we mean numerical algorithmic judgement.”

“If you want to go home, get your number down to zero! And poof, away you go!”.

“Ugh, I’m a zero,” Sad-One sighed.

The screen shifted again with more static, and this time One-One was sitting on top of a wedding cake. A figurine of a married couple was half-buried in the frosting.

“This train holds many challenges, but they won’t be hard for you passengers so long as you are properly prepared!”

“Just like this lovely couple that sunk into metaphorical failure.”

“You don’t know how long you’ll be here, and you’re gonna need a lot of energy in the form of snacks!” Glad-One plucked a frosted flower off of the cake.

“Personal growth is exhausting.” Sad-One said bluntly.

“Don’t forget that there are a lot of denizens along the way to help you on your journey! Don’t be afraid to reach out!” 

“Unless it’s one of those denizens with more teeth than body.”

The screen transitioned to a short montage of different creatures, including a corgi wearing a crown and an amorphous blob of what looked to be sentient water.

“And remember, you can’t spell escape without companionship! Or, uh, companionshape?”

With that, the screen turned off. The passenger pod opened with a hiss of air. Sitting up, Amity rubbed her eyes, looking around and finding herself alone in the middle of an enormous library. Shelves filled to the brim with books went on as far as the eye could see. The ceiling was paneled with vibrant multicolor glass, depicting a sea of twinkling stars along with a detailed crescent moon.

Before she moved to stand up, she looked down to examine her hands, eyes widening as she noticed the green glow of her right palm. The number 137 shined back at her, surrounded in brackets. Amity couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She tried opening and closing her palm a few times, as if trying to will away the number. Unfortunately for her, it didn’t work as much as she wanted it to. 

“This can’t be happening. This has to be some sort of dream or a bad joke… right?”

She stood from the pod, pressing her hand to the edge to support her as she hopped onto the hardwood floor with a soft thud. The library was eerily quiet, which unnerved her. Amity rubbed the goosebumps on her arms as they appeared, noticing the chill in the air. 

_Ugh, I wish I had my jacket… Wait!_

Amity turned back to the pod and sure enough, her backpack was inside, squished to the bottom where her feet had been. She grabbed it and unzipped the top zipper, pulling out her favorite jacket. After she put it on, she slung her backpack over her shoulder. 

Contemplating on what direction to take, Amity turned in a slow circle, eyeing the numbers that were printed on the plaques at the end of each aisle. She had the Dewey Decimal System memorized, thanks to her countless hours volunteering at her local library. She was in the 700s, Arts & Recreation. Nodding to herself, she decided to walk to the front of the library. Hopefully there would be an exit, or someone who could help her. 

Amity strolled quickly through the aisles, not wanting to waste any time dawdling on exploring the thousands of selections around her, even if her interest was piqued. A clock chimed loudly, startling her as bells echoed throughout the library. Amity stopped in her tracks, inhaling and exhaling slowly in an effort to calm her nerves. 

_You are safe. And you will be okay as soon as you get the hell out of here, hopefully before mom and dad notice you’ve disappeared out of the blue._

With another breath, she continued on her way. The bells stopped chiming, and the library was once again silent. After walking for several minutes (just how big was this place?), Amity arrived at the receptionist’s desk. Just her luck, no one was around. And there was no door in sight. Great.

Taking a seat at a small table situated in front of the desk, Amity looked down, holding her head in her hands as she tried to avoid panicking.

_If you wait long enough, someone has to show up eventually. Until then, keep your cool._

She’d soon regret those words, as in time someone (or something) would indeed come around. But they weren’t exactly the helpful type. Rather the opposite, actually. 

\---- ---- ----

Luz finished off her not-dog, licking her lips and wiping her fingers on her pants. Seeing this, Willow wrinkled her nose. 

“Here, a napkin.” Gus offered, passing one to Luz from his satchel. She took it, smiling gratefully.

“Thank you! And thanks again for explaining how everything works here!” She wiped the last of the grease from her fingers and tossed the used napkin to the trash bin next to them. 

The trio were seated under the shade of a towering oak tree, at a lunch table in the middle of a small park. Young denizens played together in a jungle gym nearby, their guardians chatting together amicably while maintaining a watchful eye over their respective charges. Luz chuckled as she watched a pink-haired denizen race to the top of the jungle gym, cheering when she beat her friends there. 

“So,” Luz prompted, breaking the silence, “How long have you two been stuck here?”

“A couple of weeks, but we’ve adjusted pretty quickly if I do say so myself,” Gus grinned.

Willow scoffed, “You should have seen him when I first met him, he was on the verge of a mental breakdown, blubbering all by himself because he couldn’t figure out how to open a door.”

“Hey! I thought we agreed to never speak of that again!” Gus cried out, obviously offended.

Luz leaned forward, tilting her head quizzically, “Open a door? What do you mean?”

“Oh! That’s right!” Gus smacked a closed fist into the palm of his hand. “I forgot to mention it before, but each train car has a door that leads to the next one. Sometimes they’re unlocked but usually you have to do something, like complete a task, in order to open them.”

“Wowza! That’s neat. Honestly, the longer I’m here the more I feel like I’m a video game character or the protagonist of a fantastical adventure.” Luz said cheerfully. Willow frowned.

“This place is no video game, and it’d do you well to remember that.”

Gus nodded, “Willow’s right. If you’re not careful, you can get seriously hurt. And even when you are, well, things can always go sideways.”

\---- ---- ---- 

_Shit shit shit shit!!_

Amity cursed under her breath as she raced down the aisles of the library, her feet pounding against the hardwood floor. She ran as fast as she could, away from the grey basilisk tailing her closely, snapping at her heels. 

Thankfully, all those hours of rugby conditioning had paid off as she’d been running nonstop for the last 10 minutes without tiring. Or maybe it was the sheer adrenaline that came with being in life-threatening situations.

“Come now little girl, I promise I won’t bite… too hard,” The monster taunted.

“Over my dead body!” Amity called back over her shoulder.

“ _Sso_ be it,” The basilisk hissed. “You will tire soon enough.”

_Think Amity, think! There has to be a way out of here._

Yet, even though she had been running for several minutes, there was still no end in sight to the towers of books surrounding her. Debating her options, Amity realized she would have to outsmart the basilisk, or god forbid face it head on, if she were to make it out of here alive. Her mind raced, and she thought back to the fantasy books she had poured over as a kid.

_Okay, from what I remember, basilisks can be killed by hearing the crow of a rooster or gazing at itself through a mirror. Obviously, there are no roosters around, so that leaves… wait! That’s it!_

Amity grinned, making a sharp turn to the left, racing down a short aisle before skidding to a stop. Grabbing her bag, she shoved her hand inside and felt around for what she was looking for.

_C’mon c’mon, I know it's in here…_

Behind her, the basilisk approached slowly. “Given up already? How sad. I was expecting a bit more of a chase, but I supposed it’s alright. You smell rather divine. I haven’t eaten since yesterday, so you’ll do just fine.” 

The basilisk came closer, ending up right behind Amity who still had one hand buried in her backpack. After a moment, Amity turned to face the basilisk, holding her backpack in one hand and her other hand clenched behind her back. Sweat beaded her brow, and a few drops fell onto the floor.

“Yeah, no thanks. Why don’t you eat this instead!” 

Amity thrust her fist forward, flipping her palm up to reveal a circular disk with a metallic surface. Clicking a button on the edge of the device with her thumb, a small mirror popped out. 

“No, no, NOOO!” The basilisk screamed in agony, and slowly dissolved into a grey sludge that seeped across the floor. 

Amity winced in pain as the basilisk’s shrill cries echoed throughout the library. Looking down, she saw that her shoes were now coated with a fine layer of basilisk goop.

“Well,” she sighed as she examined her ruined shoes, “At least I’m alive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact! Amity's passenger number is made up of the episodes that she's featured prominently in season 1!
> 
> Also, I borrowed some bits of the passenger orientation from the actual show. I figured I couldn't do One-One justice.  
> You can watch it here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEUWz9BD8QQ
> 
> Thoughts? Suggestions? Theories? Please leave them down below! :))
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading!


	3. Rainy Spell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz makes a new friend.
> 
> Amity weathers a rainstorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another chapter! I'm very proud of how this one turned out. 
> 
> If y'all have ideas for train cars you'd like to see in this story, please let me know! I already have a list, but I love hearing y'alls feedback. And I might incorporate yours if I can work it into the story I want to tell. 
> 
> From here on out, you can expect at least one new chapter once a week. :))
> 
> Enjoy!

Night had fallen in the Witch Car. The sky was pitch black, with dark purple clouds scattered throughout. The full moon had a bright blue sheen to it as it hung in the sky. As she admired the view above her in wonder, Luz nearly walked into a tree before Willow grabbed her by the arm, roughly pulling her out of the way just in the nick of time. 

Slightly embarrassed, Luz rubbed the back of her neck, “Uh, thanks.”

Willow spared her a brief glance, before turning back to the road, “No problem.”

Luz, Willow, and Gus had spent the remainder of the day looking for the exit door, but they couldn’t find it anywhere. After deciding to head back into town to rest for the night before continuing their search again in the morning, they left the outskirts of the nearby forest where they had been searching. 

Even though it’s been a long day, Luz doesn’t find herself tired at all. In fact, she’s brimming with energy. They walked in silence for a while, towards Bonesborough, but Luz was itching to talk. 

She decided to strike up a conversation with Gus, asking him the first question that came to mind, “Hey, what’s your number?”

Gus stopped in his tracks, staring down at the ground, “Why do you ask?” 

His tone is short, clipped. He doesn’t meet her eyes. This sudden change in demeanor is out of character for Gus, given how normally jovial he is. Luz noticed this immediately and quickly backpedaled.

“Oh! Sorry! I didn’t realize it was such a sensitive topic.” 

Willow cut in sharply, “Of course it is, it’s a literal representation of how long we’re stuck here,” She paused for a moment, before adding, “and just how messed up we are.”

Gus sighed, shaking his head, before starting to walk forward again, “Willow, it’s okay.” 

He turned to Luz, “Look, I know you mean well, but people can be pretty private about their numbers. It’s a touchy subject for us, and most other passengers. We can go weeks without any changes, good or bad. Mine only started going down recently, ever since I met Willow.”

He looked at her with a smug grin, “And thanks to me, hers has started going down too.”

Willow didn’t respond, but Luz noticed a warm, small smile appear on her face. But it disappeared as soon as she realized Luz was looking at her. Their eyes met for a brief, awkward moment before Willow turned away. 

_ Hmm. So Gus wasn’t lying. She does have a soft side.  _

Luz rubbed her chin thoughtfully, deciding right then and there that she’d do whatever it took to befriend Willow as she had Gus. 

After some time, the trio re-entered the town center. It was nearly empty, with only a few people around, likely on their way home. Gus and Willow walked off to a nearby inn to see if they could get a room to stay in for the night. Before leaving they tell Luz to stay put. 

Of course, she doesn’t listen.

A ways down the street leading to the bell tower, Luz noticed a line forming outside of a large, red striped circus tent. There was hushed chatter as denizens in line socialized with each other. Luz perked up, watching the denizens intently while tapping a finger to her lips in thought.

_ I’ll just go check it out and come back right away. They won’t notice I’m gone, probably. _

Luz took off down the street, slowing her approach as she neared the entrance of the tent. She peered inside, over the shoulder of a green, lizard-like demon collecting tickets. It’s too dark to make anything out except for a stage with red curtains. Running a hand through her hair, Luz decided to get a closer look. She walked to the back of the tent, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one saw her. Luz lifted the edge of the tent up and crawled inside. 

Once inside, she rose to her feet, briefly dusting herself off before looking up. She was in some sort of storage area, with boxes, piles of clothes, and other assorted items dumped haphazardly around her. Hearing a voice, Luz ducked down behind a cardboard cutout of a unicorn. 

“Is everything ready?”   
  


“Almost, sir. We can start soon, in the next 5 minutes.”

“Good. Any word from the Owl Lady?”

“No sir. And her pet is still in the cage. It finally fell asleep after whining for hours.”

“Well wake it up, Brontes! And prepare it for the display case. We have a large crowd out there tonight and I need everything to go according to plan.”

One of the voices sounded familiar. Wanting to get a look at who’s speaking, Luz carefully stuck her head out behind the cutout, leaning forward. She saw the rude pig-demon from earlier today, Tibbles, and another demon that appeared to be a cyclops. 

Tibbles was dressed in a black tophat, dress shirt, and red coat with padded shoulders. The cyclops was wearing casual clothing, consisting of a simple brown tunic, pants and work boots. Brontes was rather tall, Tibbles barely reached his knees. Yet, despite the stark height difference, Tibbles exuded an air of authority. 

“Yes sir, my apologies,” The cyclops bowed his head and shuffled awkwardly on his feet.

“Well, get going then!” Tibbles snapped, before turning and walking away. After a moment, the cyclops left, but in the opposite direction. Interest now peaked, Luz followed the cyclops. She stayed well behind him, ducking into the shadows to remain hidden. 

After a few minutes of walking, the cyclops came to a stop at a small cage. Luz hid behind a box, peering over to get a closer look. Brontes grabbed a key from his belt and unlocked the cage. The cyclops kicked at a small, skull-headed demon lying on the ground. With a squeak, the demon sat up. It’s yellow-pink eyes fell on the cyclops and he bared his teeth.

“What was that for?” The demon exclaimed, arms thrown up in the air.

The cyclops snorted, “Get up. I have to put you in the display case.”

“No way! I’m not a joke to be laughed at. I am the King of Demons!” The demon placed a paw to his chest, head held high. Luz pressed her hands to her cheeks, silently cooing. He was absolutely adorable. 

Brontes rolled his eyes, unsurprised, as if he had been expecting this answer. He leaned down and grabbed the demon by his red collar, hoisting him up in the air. Brontes eyed the demon for a moment, before sneering.

“Some  _ king _ you are.”

The demon squirmed helplessly in his grasp, trying to pry Brontes’ claws from his neck. Brontes easily tucked him under his arm, leaving a pat on his head for good measure.

“Let me go!” He shrieked.

“Sorry, I’ve got a job to do.” Brontes replied curtly. 

“Eda won’t be happy about this!”

Luz slipped, falling back onto the ground with a soft thud. She scrambled to her previous position, her mind running a mile a minute.

_ Eda? That’s the lady I ran into earlier today. _

“Yeah, well I don’t see her anywhere. Looks like she didn’t care enough about you to come.”

The demon stopped struggling against Brontes, his face dropping. Luz clenched her hands into tight fists. 

_ I have to help him. _

Without a second thought, Luz jumped up from behind the box, waving her arms around. 

“Hey! Over here!”

The cyclops turned and stiffened immediately when he spotted Luz. He dropped the demon and pointed a single claw at her.

“What are you doing here? No one’s allowed back here besides the staff.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Luz responded, raising an eyebrow. “Silly me. I guess I’ll get going now.”

Suddenly, she reached over and pushed over a tower of boxes. Brontes yelped as they fell, burying him underneath. Thinking quickly, Luz sprinted forward and snatched up the demon from where he had fallen, placing him on her shoulder as she turned to leave the tent.

Brontes stuck a hand out from the pile of boxes, trying to claw his way out. 

Voice muffled, he growls, “You’ll regret that.”

“Uh, I gotta go!” Luz squeaked.

Luz raced off, towards the back of the tent. Quickly maneuvering around more boxes, Luz made it to the tent wall, lifting the edge of the flap to escape. Luz and the demon ducked under the flap, exiting the tent, and faced the empty street. The demon jumped down from her shoulder.

“Thanks for the save, human. Not that I needed it.” He huffed, crossing his arms.

Luz smiled, “No problem. Now c’mon, let’s get out of here before he comes looking for us.”

\---- ---- ----

Amity was cold.

Wait. Scratch that. 

She was freezing her ass off.

Intense shivers wracked her entire body and Amity crossed her arms, furiously rubbing her shoulders in an attempt to generate some semblance of warmth. It doesn’t work. 

Amity continued walking forward, trudging through the thick mud that now cakes her shoes. The rain was unrelenting, completely drenching her clothes-- including her favorite letterman jacket-- much to Amity’s dismay.

Visibility was low, there was hardly any sunlight to be seen. The Rain Car was shrouded in a thick, grey fog that left everything that wasn’t 10 feet in front of her obscured. After the Library Car, Amity thought her luck couldn’t get any worse. Evidently, she was wrong. When she first entered the car, it had been rather pleasant. It was warm and sunny for all of five minutes until a huge storm rolled in out of nowhere and subjected Amity to the worst chills she’d ever experienced. 

Her breath came out in small puffs, manifesting as white vapor before quickly dissipating. After so many hours of being beaten down by the heavy rain, Amity felt extremely worn out, but knew she couldn’t stop walking. She needed to keep her blood circulating, as hard as it was to weather the continuous downpour with no end in sight.

Amity’s eyes were trained forward, on the lookout for any way out of the rain. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that she failed to see an overgrown tree root in her path until it was too late. Her left foot caught on the root, and with a yelp Amity fell forward, hitting the ground with a wet splatter. 

Groaning, she propped herself up on her elbows, wiping the sticky mud from her face and blinking the residue from her eyes. Looking down, Amity frowned. Her clothes were completely ruined. Amity tried to stand up to clean herself off, only to feel a spike of pain shoot up her leg once she put weight onto her left foot. 

_ Wonderful. _

With a deep sigh, Amity knelt down to examine her injury, carefully pressing around the area to locate the problem. After some prodding, Amity moved her fingers from the top of her foot to her ankle. With a sharp intake of air, she realized her ankle was sprained.

Amity looked up, desperately searching for anything that could shelter her from the pouring rain. There was nothing. So, she crawled to the nearest tree and hunkered down next to a fallen log, deciding to wait out the rain. There was no way she could get anywhere with her ankle as it was now. Hopefully she could avoid catching hypothermia until the storm ended.

Out of curiosity, she wiped her right hand against her pants to get rid of the mud covering her palm, and glanced at her number to see if it had changed at all. 

It hadn’t. 

She let out a breath, disappointed but not surprised. Amity leaned back against the tree and stared off into the fog, rethinking all of her life choices that have led her to this very moment.

Her chest tightened, fingernails pressing into her palms. She released a heavy sigh.

_ I should’ve never left the house.  _

It’s not until she tasted the salty tears streaming down her face, mixing in with the cool rain drops, that Amity realized she was crying. But she didn’t move to wipe the tears away. 

She couldn’t find it in herself to care. 

After surviving the basilisk, Amity thought she’d be able to handle whatever the train threw at her next. Now, completely numb to the rain falling around her, she vowed that  _ that _ would be the last time she would have so much misplaced confidence in herself, so help her God.

Eventually, the tears stopped falling from her red-rimmed eyes. As emotionally cathartic as it was, crying wouldn’t get her anywhere. She had to remain focused to get out of here. Amity looked down at her hands, and started rubbing them together to get some circulation going. 

Reminiscing of silky blankets, warm bedding, and a small space heater back at Blight Manor, she didn’t realize someone was approaching until a pair of black boots came into view. Startled, Amity looked up quickly. She raised a hand in front of her defensively. 

Before her stood a woman with long, dark blue hair wearing a thick grey trench coat. Under the coat, Amity saw a pressed white uniform shirt, and formal black pants. She held a tall white staff with a carved raven at the top. Somehow, the woman was completely dry. She regarded Amity for a moment, taking in her worse for wear appearance before speaking softly.

“Miss, do you need help?”

Staring blankly at the woman, Amity nodded her head. She couldn’t believe that she'd finally run into someone not trying to kill her.

The woman extended a hand and helped Amity to her feet. Amity winced as she stood, accidentally placing weight on her injured ankle. Ankle throbbing, she shifted on her feet, favoring her right foot and placing a hand against the tree next to her for support. 

The woman noticed this and asked, “Are you hurt?”

Amity spoke for the first time in what must have been several hours.

“Yes, it’s my ankle,” She managed to croak out. 

The woman nodded to herself, tutting thoughtfully. She rubbed her chin before coming to a decision. With her right finger, she drew a circle in the air. With a slack expression Amity watched a glowing, blue energy circle appear in the air. A moment later, she felt a surge of warmth around her injured ankle, and the throbbing pain quickly faded away. 

Amity tentatively tested her injury by pressing her left foot against the mud. Nothing happened, there was no pain at all. It felt completely fine. Amity was surprised, to say the least.

She looked at the woman, narrowing her eyes, “How did you do that?”

The woman smirked, “Magic. Come now, let’s get you out of this rain.”

She turned, walking into the fog. Not knowing what else to do, Amity followed her.

\---- ---- ----

As Luz and the demon made their way up the street, Gus and Willow came into view. They seemed to be arguing about something. Willow waved her arms, gesturing as if they should leave. Gus shook his head. 

“Gus! Willow!” Luz calls out to them, grabbing their attention. 

“Luz! There you are! Where have you been?” Gus exclaimed, rushing over to meet Luz and the small demon as they approached the inn. Willow followed after him, looking mildly annoyed. 

“Sorry Gus, I got distracted by something. But look, I made a friend!” 

She gestured to the demon standing next to her. 

The demon sniffed, “We are not friends.”

Gus approached the demon tentatively, “He’s not dangerous, is he?”

Willow snorted, “Look at him, I doubt he could hurt a fly.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know I’m the King of Demons! Stomping his foot on the ground, he proclaimed, “Bow before me, peasants!”

The trio exchanged a look with each other, before bursting into laughter. Luz’s eyes watered as she placed her hands on her knees, gasping for air. The demon grumbled, muttering under his breath. After a few moments, the laughter finally died down. Wiping away a few tears from her eyes, Luz managed to recollect herself. She turned to Willow and Gus.

“So, were you able to get a room?”

Gus shook his head, “Nope. They’re completely booked.”

“It looks like we’ll have to camp out somewhere tonight.” Willow said. 

“Oh well,” Luz frowned. 

A moment later, the demon cleared his throat, “I know somewhere you can stay.”

Luz brightened, “Really? That’s great! Where?”

The demon grinned, “A friend of mine has a house nearby. I can convince her to let you stay over, if you grovel before me now!”

Willow wrinkled her nose, “Uh, no thanks. I have more self-respect than that. Let’s go guys.”

Gus and Luz turned to follow her before the demon spoke up again, catching their attention.

“Weh! I was just kidding!” The demon’s eyes flitted nervously between the trio.

Luz, Gus, and Willow looked at each other. Luz was about to speak when a loud explosion made the group jump. Down the street, the red-striped tent was in flames. Denizens were frantically fleeing the scene. Shouts and cries of outrage filled the night, making Luz shiver, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the chaos.

“What the hell was that?” Willow whispered.

“Oh, that was me.”

Luz yelped, backpedaling into Gus who stumbled into Willow. They clung to each other, eyeing the newcomer. The woman wore a ragged red dress, with heels and a golden ring on her right hand. She held a brown wooden staff, with a carved owl at the top. Luz’s eyes widened in recognition, and she took a step forward, pointing a finger at her. 

“You’re Eda the Owl Lady!”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out kid.”

The demon squealed, running up to Eda and jumping into her arms. Eda caught him, and held him to her chest.

“You came!”

“Of course I did. Who else is gonna help me run from the authorities?”

The demon climbed onto Eda’s shoulder. She turned to look at Luz, Willow, and Gus.

She eyed them for a moment, “King, did they hurt you? Do I need to hurt them?”

Gus shrunk behind Luz and Willow, who stiffened immediately.

King shook his head, “No need. One of them actually helped me escape.”

“Oh, sweet. Well, time to go home then.” 

Eda lowered her staff, throwing a leg over as she prepared to take off. 

“Wait! Don’t leave yet!” Luz exclaimed, waving her arms frantically.

Eda quirked an eyebrow, but didn't leave. She sat back on her staff, nodding her head for Luz to continue. Luz rubbed her hands together nervously. 

“Can we spend the night at your house? We spent all day looking for the exit door but couldn’t find it anywhere. We have nowhere else to go. I promise we won’t bother you at all.”

“Too late- ow!” She rubbed her arm from where King had flicked her.

“C’mon Eda, I owe them one.”

Eda grumbled, “Yeah, but it’s my house.” 

She sighed, “Alright then. You know where it is,” she pointed to Luz, “So you should have no problem finding it again. We’ll see you there.” 

With that, she kicked off, flying into the night. The trio watched as Eda grew smaller and smaller in the distance. Luz yawned, scratching her head. She glanced at Willow and Gus.

“Do you think she’d let me borrow her staff for a test run?”

“Yeah!”

“Not at all.”

\---- ---- ----

The woman seemed to know her way around the Rain Car. They walked through the woods only for 10 minutes until they came across a cave. The woman conjured a flame, holding it in her hand as she stepped inside. Mouth dry, Amity swallowed nervously before she followed her inside. 

The duo walked 20 feet into the cave, before the woman held out a hand, stopping Amity in her tracks. She gestured, indicating for Amity to sit down with herself following suit. 

“We’ll spend the night here. Tomorrow I’ll help you find the exit door and then we’ll part ways.”

“Sounds good,” Amity sank against the wall. She looked at her hands, they were trembling.

“For now, I’ll dry your clothes. Then I’ll find us something to eat,” 

Amity perked up. The woman drew another spell circle. Amity felt a tingling sensation in her fingers and toes. A sense of warmth encompassed her entire body. After a moment, she patted herself down, every inch of her was dry. She sighed, closing her eyes.

“Thank you.”

The woman hummed in response. Amity opened her eyes, examining the woman more closely now that she wasn’t preoccupied with freezing to death. She had taken off her trench coat, laying it beside her. The woman was carefully rolling up the sleeves of her dress shirt. Her blue-green eyes caught Amity’s attention, and she didn’t realize she was staring until the woman cleared her throat. 

“Well, I should get going now. I’ll be back soon.” 

The woman moved to stand, but Amity reached out, stopping her with a hand on her shoulder. 

“Wait. Please.”

The woman paused, raising an eyebrow, “Yes?”

“Who are you? What’s your name? Why did you help me?” The questions flew out of Amity’s mouth faster than she could think. She cringed, retracting her hand, and placing it on her lap.

_ Nice one, Amity. _

The woman pressed her lips together briefly before speaking, “I’m a denizen, and my name is Lilith. I helped you because it looked like you needed my assistance,” Lilith crossed her arms, “Was I wrong?” 

Amity flushed, stuttering out a “N-No ma’am.”

Lilith stood, dusting herself off. She picked up her trench coat, shaking it off before throwing it on. She drew another spell circle and a fire crackled to life next to Amity, making her jump.

“It’s still extremely cold outside, so try to stay warm while I’m gone.”

“Will do,” Amity looked away.

She fidgeted, not knowing what to do with her hands. Sticking her hand in her pocket, Amity pulled out her lucky Azura pin. She ran her fingers over the smooth surface. 

Lilith watched her with a pensive expression. She opened and closed her mouth, weighing what to say, if anything. Looking at Amity, Lilith felt a familiar heaviness in her heart. She was reminded of  _ her _ . 

“What is your name?”

Amity jerked, dropping her pin. She quickly scooped it up, shoving it back into her pocket. Lilith took a step back, holding her hands behind her back as she waited patiently for a response.

Amity shifted how she was sitting, sliding her knees up. She picked at her chipped black nail polish for a moment, before finally meeting Lilith’s eyes.

“Amity. Amity Blight.”

Lilith nodded, “It’s nice to meet you, Amity.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/godless_glasses), [tumblr](https://lexa-alycia.tumblr.com), [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/godless.glasses/)


	4. Witch Hazel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz accepts a quest to retrieve a special belonging thought lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: I moved the fanart to the beginning of the first chapter because I didn't like having an inaccurate chapter count.
> 
> Also, no Amity this chapter. Sorry y'all, the Luz POV def got away from me. 
> 
> The next chap will be Amity centric, and after that... Well, you'll see what happens :))

“Oh kids!~ Rise and shine, hoot hoot!”

Luz grumbled in response. She burrowed further under the covers, yanking a blanket over her head. She was about to drift off back to sleep when the blanket was abruptly yanked off her. Wondering who was bothering her so early in the morning, Luz sat up with a scowl, only to see an odd, owl-like creature a few inches from her face. It was hovering over where she had been sleeping on the floor. 

“Hello, new friend!” The owl greeted, inching closer to Luz.

“AAAH!” Luz screamed. She scooted back, grabbed a pillow, and held it defensively in front of her.

“HOOTY HOOT GAH!” The owl screeched back, surprised.

“HIYA!” Luz whacked the owl right across its face with her pillow. 

It quickly retreated away from her, back to the front door of what Eda had introduced as the Owl House the night before. Shaken, Luz took deep breaths to recollect herself and calm her rapidly beating heart. Her hands curled into the soft blankets surrounding her, clenching them tightly. 

Beside Luz, Willow sat up from the floor, now wide awake. She rubbed her eyes open with a yawn. Gus was still peacefully asleep, letting out soft snores as a puddle of drool formed on his pillow. Willow slipped on her glasses, and looked towards Luz, tilting her head quizzically.

“What’s going on?”

“ _ That _ ,” Luz pointed emphatically towards the door, “bird-tube-thing just scared the heck out of me!” she exclaimed.

The “bird-tube-thing” in question was now humming a song to itself, completely oblivious to Luz and Willow’s conversation. Willow leaned back, placing her hands on the floor behind her.

“Oh, that’s just Hooty. Don’t you remember? Eda told us about him. That’s why she let us in around the back last night, so we wouldn’t wake him up.”

Luz scrunched her eyebrows in thought, trying to recall the previous night’s conversation. All she could remember was the long walk to the house, and tuning out Eda as soon as they had arrived. Instead, she had put all of her energy into not falling asleep on her feet. She relaxed her grip on the blankets around her, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

“Huh. I must’ve been too tired to hear everything she had to say.”

Willow hummed, “That makes sense. We were all pretty tired. Though Gus was really invested in Eda’s explanation of the house. He even brought out his journal to take notes.” 

With another small yawn, Willow reached over to Gus and gently shook him awake. The snoring stopped and Gus mumbled something unintelligible. 

“Gus, wake up. We have to get going soon,” Willow prodded at his arm again. 

With a groan, Gus reached blindly for Willow’s pillow, finding it and stuffing it over his face.

His voice came out slightly muffled when he replied, “Five more minutes mom.” 

Willow flushed as Luz giggled. Before Willow could say anything else, King came running down the stairs, skidding to a halt in front of the trio. He stood tall, paws resting on his hips.

“Perfect, you’re up! Feed me now, humans!” 

Willow gave him a blank look. Gus didn’t respond, electing to continue hiding under the covers of his bedsheets. Luz smiled, placing a hand over her heart, and leaned forward as she spoke.

“Aw, aren’t you just the cutest little thing?” She cooed. 

Luz reached out to pet him, but King backed away, disgusted. 

“Excuse you! I AM THE---”

“King! Stuff it already!” Eda called out as she walked down the stairs, entering the living room with a less than impressed look. She was still in her pajamas, her hair was messy from sleep. 

“How many times have I told you to keep it down until I’ve had my morning brew?” Eda muttered under her breath as she walked past the group into the kitchen. 

A series of clangs, drawers opening, and a few curses could be heard before the smell of sizzling meat filled the air. Eda poked her head out of the kitchen, eyes landing on the group.

“I’m not cooking for you kids. If you want something, get in here and make it yourself.” She disappeared into the kitchen again, presumably to start on making her coffee.

“Ooh, is that bacon I smell?” 

Luz, Willow, and King turned to Gus, who was now wide awake. Willow raised an eyebrow.

“About time you got up. Also, there’s drool on your face.” 

\---- ---- ----

After breakfast, the group gathered in the living room. Willow and Gus were standing by the door, ready to go. Luz stopped in front of the coffee table, and turned to Eda and King, who were sitting comfortably on the couch. King was curled at the edge of the couch, readying himself for a late morning nap. Eda dug under the couch cushions and pulled out a book, placing it down next to her. She kicked back her feet and leaned back into the couch, looking at the kids expectantly. Luz was the first to break the silence. 

“Uhm, thanks again for letting us spend the night.” Luz smiled, fiddling with her wrist watch nervously. 

“Yeah yeah, it was fine. Don’t worry about it,” Eda turned to King, who was now sleeping, before continuing on, “Now, it’s time for you all to get going. Have fun finding the exit door.” 

Eda picked up the book next to her, holding it up in front of her, and flipping it open to the first page. She didn’t look up again. Luz turned to follow Gus and Willow out the door, but she hesitated. Something about Eda’s book seemed strangely familiar to her. She looked back, and her eyes zeroed in on the book cover, now clearly visible. 

Plastered all over the back cover were Luz’s special limited stickers of The Good Witch Azura. Luz could recognize them anywhere- she had begged her mamá to buy them for her birthday last year. She let out a squeak, covering her mouth in shock.

“Tha- That’s!” She stuttered, “That’s my book! Give it back!” Luz exclaimed, pointing accusingly at Eda.

Eda glanced at Luz, completely unfazed.

“Finders keepers. Sorry kid,” She returned to reading the book. 

“B- But!”

“No buts. Now scram.” 

Eda licked a finger, and used it to flip a page. Luz’s right eye twitched. 

“No! No way! The reason I’m on this train to begin with is because an owl stole that book. And now I want it back!” Luz huffed angrily, stomping her right foot on the floor. 

From the door, Gus and Willow exchanged a nervous glance. After a moment, they nodded to each other in agreement, and Gus placed his hand on the doorknob.

“Yeah… we’ll let you two sort this out in private. Luz, we’ll be waiting for you outside!” 

And with that, Gus opened the front door with Willow following close behind him. The door shut with a slam, startling King from his nap. He grumbled, rubbing his eyes, and sat up.

“Ugh! I was at the best part of my dream!” 

King looked around to see what had woken him up when he spotted Luz and Eda in the middle of a tense staring contest.

“Um, what did I miss?” He gulped, tugging at his collar. 

“Eda stole my book-” 

“The kid won’t leave me alone!”

“-and won’t give it back to me!”

“This is all your fault King. Ugh, it is  _ way _ too early for this.”

King blinked, “Okayy,” He cleared his throat. “Looks like I get to mediate. Great.” 

“I should just kick her out, shouldn’t I?” Eda asked, standing up from the couch. She tossed the book to the couch and leveled an even look at Luz, who audibly gulped.

“N- no! Please, I-”

“Stop rambling Luz, you’re not helping your case here.” King stood, and began pacing the length of the couch. After a few moments, his eyes lit up, and he turned to face Luz.

“Luz, you’ll have to earn your book back. There’s no way Eda will give it up otherwise.”

“Yup. And y’know, it’s not that I even care about the book that much. It’s a matter of respect,” Eda crossed her arms, and grinned deviously at Luz. 

“Fine,” Luz grimaced. “What do you need me to do?” Her foot tapped impatiently against the hardwood floor, eyes flitting from King to Eda.

Eda hummed, contemplating for a few moments, before reaching a decision. 

“Alright, you can collect some witch hazel for me. I need it for a potion I’m making later today. You’ll find it along the banks of a river that’s about a mile into the woods behind the house. Come back in an hour and the book is yours.”

“Oh, that seems easy enough.” Luz relaxed, and her foot stopped tapping.

“It is, if you can avoid the Murder Hornets. They’re all along the river,” Eda said cheerfully.

“The WHAT!? Are you kidding me?” 

“Oh c’mon, you’ll be fine,” Eda chuckled. “Probably.” 

Before Luz could get another word in, King piped up from his spot on the couch.

“ _ Well _ , it is kind of dangerous. So if you can do it we’ll also show you where the exit door is.” 

Eda turned to him, eyes narrowing.

“I didn’t agree to that.”

“But you’re gonna do it anyway,” King shot back. 

“Fine,” Eda scoffed.

Luz pressed her lips together, brows furrowing. On one hand, the Murder Hornets sounded terrifying. But, she  _ really _ wanted her book back. And, if she thought about it another way, it was kind of like a magical quest, right?

_ What would The Good Witch Azura do? _

_ She’d tackle any problem, no matter how big or small, head on.  _

“Okay, I’ll do it. Can you show me what the witch hazel looks like?”

Eda drew a golden spell circle. Luz watched, mesmerized as a translucent flower appeared in front of her. It had thin, bright yellow petals with a purple center at the head of the stem. 

“Woah… This is  _ so _ cool!”

Forgetting momentarily about the task at hand, Luz turned to face Eda.

“Is there any chance you could teach me magic?” She asked, hands clasped together.

Eda exchanged a look with King, before both bowled over in laughter. Luz flushed.

“Sorry kid, but humans like you have no magical ability. Witches have a bile sac attached to our hearts that allows us to store the magic of the car, and channel it by drawing spell circles.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d say something like that,” Luz pouted.

“Anyway, you better get going,” Eda shooed Luz out the door. “The Murder Hornets start to leave their hives around noon.” 

“What? Why?”

“To hunt, of course!”

And with that, Eda slammed the door in her face. Luz turned to face Willow and Gus.

“Okay, so I have to go pick some witch hazel from a riverbank to get my book back. Also, Eda and King will show us where the exit door is if I can do it within the hour.”

“Really? That’s it? Seems pretty easy to me!” Gus smiled.

Luz let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of her neck. Willow frowned.

“There’s a catch right?”

\---- ---- ----

“RUN!!!”

Luz sprinted past Willow and Gus, who had stayed back by the tree line as Luz had made her way down to the riverbank. They quickly took off after her, the angry buzzing of the Murder Hornets close behind them. Feet pounding against the forest floor, branches whipping across her face, Luz panted as she raced back to the Owl House.

“I wish I stayed back at the house,” Willow gasped out, breathing heavily.

“Me too,” Gus wheezed.

Together, the trio managed to find their way back. Unfortunately, the Murder Hornets were still tailing them. As they quickly approached the front door, Luz called out to Hooty.

“Open the door! Now!”

“What’s the password?” Hooty chirped happily. 

Luz wanted to scream.

“Hooty if you don’t open up  _ right now _ , I swear I’ll--”

“Alright alright! Yeesh. I was just kidding.” 

The door swung open just as Luz reached it, with Willow and Gus close behind. Once they were all inside, the door slammed shut. A series of thunks and buzzing came from outside.

“OW! Not the face!” Hooty cried.

The trio collapsed on the floor, utterly spent. Eda looked up from the couch, where she had been napping. King was sprawled across her lap, still fast asleep.

“Oh, you’re alive,” She moved King off her lap and onto the couch. Eda stood up, cracking her knuckles before stretching her arms with a wide yawn. “Do you have the witch hazel?”

Luz took off her backpack, placing it in front of her. She unzipped it and dug around for a moment before pulling out a clump of the plant. She waved it victoriously through the air.

“Right here,” She smiled weakly. 

Eda collected the witch hazel from Luz, taking it to the kitchen. When she came back, the kids were still sprawled on the floor. They all looked pretty tired, but Eda didn’t really care. 

“Get up. I’ll show you where the exit door is, since King is asleep. We gotta go now, I don’t want to miss the new episode of  _ Ghost of You _ .”

With a few mumbled complaints and grumbling, the trio got up. Luz wiped the sticky sweat from her forehead, and combed a hand through her messy hair. Then, her eyes widened. 

“Wait, where’s my book?”

Eda’s eyes narrowed, and then she snapped her fingers in recognition.

“Oh, right.” 

She drew a spell circle, summoning the book from thin air. It dropped into Luz’s waiting hands. Luz squealed, spinning around in a circle, and hugged it tightly to her chest.

“Oh Azura, how I’ve missed you.”

Eda eyed her warily, before addressing the group. 

“Let me just grab my staff and we’ll get going.” 

She walked over to the door, where a wooden staff was leaning against the wall. But it was missing its figurehead. Luz furrowed her eyebrows. If she remembered correctly, it was an--

“Owlbert c’mon, we gotta go!” Eda let out a shrill whistle.

A small brown owl came flying in from the staircase that led up to the second floor. It passed over Luz, Willow, and Gus before landing on Eda’s shoulder. She gave it an affectionate pat on the head before it hopped onto her staff, turning into solid wood. Luz gaped.

“Tha- That’s!” Luz fumbled for words, mouth opening and closing in disbelief.

Eda cut her off, “Yeah, yeah, the owl that stole your book. We get it already. Let’s go.”

Eda moved towards the door, placing her hand on the doorknob to open it. Luz shook her head, staring down at the ground. 

“How did the owl even get off the train? I thought only passengers could leave.”

Eda froze. Her hand on the doorknob tightened. 

“ _ That _ is none of your business.”

Luz frowned, but decided not to push it. The trio followed Eda out the door. Once outside, Eda turned and faced them. 

“Alright. We’re going to teleport there because it’ll take way too long to walk, and not all of you fit on my staff,” Eda extended her staff towards them. “Grab on.” 

Once everyone was holding onto the staff, Eda drew a spell circle, and the group disappeared from the Owl House instantaneously. They reappeared in the middle of a clearing, the remains of an old stone castle surrounding them. The temperature had dropped substantially. Luz’s feet sunk into the snow that covered the ground. She took a moment to look around, and shivered as the chill from the air seeped into her bones.

“Where are we?” Luz asked, her breath coming out as white mist.

“On the Knee of the Titan. His body is a part of the island, and is what originally gave witches magical abilities,” Eda replied. “This is actually one of the most magical places--”

“Okay! Normally I’d love to learn more about this train car, but I am  _ freezing _ . Where’s the door?” Gus interrupted, teeth chattering as he rapidly rubbed his hands along his arms.

Eda pointed with her staff to one of the castle towers still standing. 

“It’s a big red door at the top of that tower. Follow the stairs all the way and you can’t miss it.”

Willow nodded, “Cool, thanks. Let’s go guys.”

Luz, Gus, and Willow made their way through the heavy snow to the tower. Once they reached the broken archway blocking the entrance, Gus and Willow climbed over it, disappearing into the castle. Luz paused, and looked back to where Eda had been. 

The witch was gone. 

Shaking her head, Luz followed her friends inside. Together they climbed the stairs of the tower. After a few close calls with Gus, where Willow had to grab the back of his shirt to prevent him from falling off, they finally made it to the top. Before them was a red, double arched door, with golden handles that looked like half-infinity signs on top of each other.

“We made it!” Luz cheered, rubbing her hands together excitedly.

“Let’s get out of here before my feet fall off.” Willow said, brushing past Luz to reach the door.

The door opened with a warm gust of wind from outside. Luz felt tingles throughout her body as the chill faded. Willow exited first, followed by Gus and Luz. As Luz stepped through the door, her eyes widened. The train was ridiculously long, extending into either direction with no end in sight, and chugging along at a fast pace. Luz took in her surroundings slowly, wind whipping against her short hair.

There was a vast, desolate wasteland that stretched as far as the eye could see in either direction, consisting of dry cracked earth. The sky was dark orange in color, with heavy clouds hanging low in the air. She could also see a few dead blackened trees here and there, and some low hills far into the distance. Luz looked away from the wasteland, feeling deeply unsettled.

_ We’re really in the middle of nowhere. _

Luz refocused on what was in front of her, deciding to push thoughts of the wasteland to the side for now. A narrow bridge connected the Witch Car to the next one, and Willow and Gus were already halfway across. 

“Wait for me!” Luz called out, taking off after them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/godless_glasses), [tumblr](https://lexa-alycia.tumblr.com), [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/godless.glasses/)


	5. Desert Blight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith reveals her past to Amity.
> 
> Edric and Emira make a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone drew fanart of Amity being chased by the basilisk in chapter 2. Be sure to check it out there!
> 
> I had a hard time writing this chapter- figuring out the Clawthorne sisters' backstory was extemely difficult. There was a lot of different directions I could have taken. Hopefully this one makes sense ;) 
> 
> Enjoy!

It had been a week since the Rain Car, where Amity had nearly died (again) and met Lilith. Since then, Amity and Lilith had traversed through several cars- including a Chess Car, Grid Car, and Pinball Car. Amity shuddered at the thought of the last car, remembering how she nearly threw up while being relentlessly bounced around inside the enormous pinball machine before she was finally shot through the exit door.

Originally, Lilith was going to part ways with Amity once getting her safely out of the Rain Car. But between their original agreement, Amity recovering from the extreme weather conditions she had been subjected to, and finding the exit door, something had changed. 

Amity didn’t know what had happened to cause Lilith to stick with her longer than initially intended, but she wasn’t complaining. Being alone on this train was an utter nightmare. Also, the fact that Lilith had magical powers didn’t hurt either.

Now they were in the Desert Car. Brown sand stretched as far as the eye could see, with no one (passengers or otherwise) in sight. Only small spots of vegetation could be found here and there. There was no breeze, the air was completely still. The sun’s rays beat down heavily on the duo. It must have been around 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).

Amity was sweating through her white t-shirt, and she had stuffed her letterman jacket into her backpack the moment she and Lilith entered the car. Her black sneakers were filled to the brim with sand. Lilith had stripped off her trench coat and stored it in a pocket dimension using her magic. The older woman used her staff as a walking stick, keeping a brisk pace that even Amity (the jock she is) struggled to follow. They soldiered on, through the heat, taking breaks as needed under the shade of small palm trees.

Conversation was kept to bare minimum- it was better to conserve their energy for walking anyway. After a few hours, the temperature spiked at noon, much to Amity’s dismay. Lilith, wiping the sweat from her face, suggested that they should rest for the remainder of afternoon and continue on during the evening when it would be cooler. Amity readily agreed. 

Together, they reached the next cropping of palm trees, and sat down in the shade. Amity took off her backpack, unzipping it to find her trustworthy steel reusable water bottle that she had thought to bring to Boscha’s. She took a few big gulps, and returned it to her bag with a happy sigh. Lilith on the other hand, conjured a tall glass of red-- _wait, was that?_

“Seriously? A glass of wine? How is that supposed to help right now?” Amity frowned.

Lilith paused, holding the glass close to her. She tilted her head, facing Amity.

“This isn’t wine. It’s appleblood, and has plenty of electrolytes to keep me hydrated.”

Amity’s eyebrows furrowed, “So is that real-”

“No,” Lilith cut her off curtly, taking a careful sip of the drink before lowering it again. 

Amity noticed that the appleblood stained her lips red. She decided not to point it out.

“Oh.” 

Silence encompassed the duo once more. Normally, Amity would’ve been completely fine to sit with Lilith without talking, but the heat was making her sweaty and irritable. She wanted to take her mind off of her own discomfort, and trying to initiate a conversation with the normally tight-lipped older woman was a sacrifice she was willing to make. 

Amity eyed Lilith, who had finished her glass of appleblood and was now leaning against a small palm tree, eyes closed. She pursed her lips, debating on what to say. Finally, Amity settled on a question that had been lingering at the back of her mind for the last few days.

“So, uh, where are you headed?”

Lilith opened an eye warily, not saying anything for a moment. Then- 

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, denizens normally stick to their own car right? But instead you’ve been traveling through the train for who knows how long.”

Lilith hummed noncommittally, closing her eye again. There was another minute of peaceful silence. Not knowing what else to do, Amity picked at her fingernails nervously, patiently waiting for a response. Finally, Lilith let out a deep sigh, briefly pressing her lips together before speaking up again. 

“It’s a long story.”

Amity smiled. She was glad Lilith was opening up to her. And honestly, she was rather curious to hear what the older woman had to say. Amity wiped the sweat from her face and settled back against the sand, hands splayed behind her. 

“I’ve got time.”

\---- ---- ----

Edric Blight was nervous. 

And this was out of the ordinary, as Edric Blight was never nervous.

Not even the time Emira threatened to shave off his eyebrows if he told _anyone_ that she--

Wait. Nevermind.

Some things are best left unsaid.

He paced the living room of Blight Manor anxiously, running a hand through his hair as he waited for Emira to message him back.

Normally Edric went about his days untroubled, without a care in the world. School came naturally to him, as did socializing and making friends. But the everyday routine of school (waking up, getting ready for the day, attending classes, with few breaks in between) was tolerable on the best of days and terribly dull on the worst. 

So what if he and Emira pulled a few pranks here and there to have some fun? Usually they went off without a hitch, and the twins got a kick out of seeing how people reacted. He especially loved getting a rise out of his normally detached little sister. It cracked him up every time she turned tomato-faced, fuming as she held her breath.

But this was different. The humor of the diary prank had shriveled up days ago. It had been over a week since Amity had left to spend the night at Boscha’s house. And she had yet to return, or be found anywhere for that matter. It turns out she never made it to Boscha’s. She had seemingly disappeared, with no warning at all.

Odalia and Alador Blight were, at first, completely livid. 

The day after Amity left, Alador snapped a pencil in half when the twins stepped into his office and informed him that their sister was nowhere to be found. When Odalia Blight walked through the door the same night, her tight-knit bun had come undone once it was revealed that her youngest daughter had not returned to Blight Manor. They assumed their daughter was going through a rebellious phase, in response to getting grounded for fighting the twins. 

Since then, however, many days had passed. And their anger and frustration turned to worry. 

Much to Edric’s bewilderment, his mother had taken two weeks off of work. The last time she had taken _any_ days off was five years ago, when Grandfather had passed and she had set about pulling together all of the funeral arrangements as the eldest of her own siblings. Even then, Odalia Blight was only away from work for five days before returning to the company.

And just the other night, when Edric sneaked downstairs for a late night snack, he spotted his father sitting on the couch by the coffee table, staring blankly at the front door. Edric had immediately turned around and returned to his bedroom, feeling deeply unsettled. He had never seen his father like this. Normally he was in bed by 10:00PM sharp and didn’t rise until the sun did the following morning.

Edric checked his phone again, even though it hadn’t buzzed for the last hour. Unsurprisingly, there was no response. He huffed, pocketing it before collapsing into a chair by the fireplace. Initially, he hadn’t worried about his little sister at all. As much as he hated to admit it, Amity was extremely clever for her age, and knew how to take care of herself just fine. Whatever she had gotten herself into, she could surely get out of it no worse for wear.

But clearly, this time something was wrong. She rarely communicated with the twins, unless it was necessary. Yet, it was completely out of character for her to go entire days without checking in with their parents and updating them on where she was or what she was doing (to help them keep tabs on her of course).

And dammit, Edric had begun to feel a little guilty (yet another unfamiliar feeling).

He had been the last one to see Amity before she had stormed out of the house. And now she was missing. Possibly kidnapped, or worse. All because of a prank he had pulled with Emira.

The front door opened and Edric jumped to his feet, heart racing. Maybe Amity had finally returned. He frowned once he saw who had walked inside.

“You could have texted me.”

Emira Blight closed the door behind her, rolling her eyes.

“I forgot. I was preoccupied with checking in with Boscha and Skara to see if they had heard anything from Mittens.”

Edric perked up, “Did they?”

Emira narrowed her eyes, “No! Otherwise I would’ve said something.”

Emira sat down on the couch and sighed. Edric joined her. It was late, well past dinner time. Their parents were down at the police station, again, haggling the officers to see if there were any updates on Amity’s whereabouts even though it was repeatedly insisted by Detective Lee that they would be contacted right away if anything came up. 

The twins sat together, not saying anything, until Emira finally broke the silence.

“This sucks. Not knowing anything.”

Edric looked at her, noting her clenched jaw and crossed arms before responding.

“I’m sure something will turn up soon.”

“You don’t know that,” Her voice wavered. “For all we know Mittens could be dead.”

Edric flinched, “Don’t say that!”

“Why not?” She paused for a moment. “We might as well prepare for the worst.”

“She’ll come back,” he said, voice lowered to a whisper. 

Emira let out a snort. She shook her head before turning to face her brother.

“Ed, I know you’re usually the more optimistic out of the two of us, but let’s be real for a moment. You’re just saying that because if something’s happened to her you’ll feel guilty.”

“Well shouldn’t I? This wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t posted her diary pages all around school. And I made it worse after what I said to her right before she took off.”

“Ed, you know as well as I do that Mittens is perfectly capable of making her own decisions. She chose to leave the house, but she didn’t have to. She could’ve locked herself up in her room just like usual. And whatever you said to her before she left the house didn’t change anything. She was dead set on going to Boscha’s anyway if you caught her sneaking out.”

Edric looked at his sister. Her demeanor seemed perfectly calm, composed. Yet, he spotted her left foot tapping quietly against the hardwood floor. Edric knew his twin like the back of his hand. Even though she may not say it, she was extremely worried about Amity. Behind the cool facade she put up to placate others, she was human, just like anyone else.

“Y'know, you can say it,” Edric settled against the couch.

“Say what?” Emira broke eye contact with him, electing to stare off at the door.

“That you’re equally, if not more, anxious than I am. You don’t have to hide it from me.”

“Shut up.”

\---- ---- ----

“Years ago, back when I still lived in the Witch Car, my younger sister and I happened upon a passenger in the woods who claimed to need our help. We had been harvesting ingredients for a sleep draught in a forest close to town when we found him bleeding against a trunk of an oak tree. He was badly injured, and it was clear that he would soon bleed out if we didn’t help him. At the time, we didn’t know that this first meeting had been planned from the start. And he was planning on using us for his own personal gain.”

Amity sat upright and gaped at Lilith, “What? How-”

“Hush. No interruptions.”

Amity pressed her lips together and nodded. She pulled uncomfortably at her collar and sank back into the sand.

“Hmm. Where was I? Oh yes, the first meeting. Anyway, my sister and I took him back to our place- it was far closer than the hospital in town. We had to carefully levitate him all the way there- teleportation magic could have jostled him around too much and worsened his wounds. We managed to stop the bleeding, clean his wounds and bandage them. It took a few days, but he recovered just fine. On the day he was set to leave, he revealed his number to us. Unlike normal passengers, his number didn’t glow. It was faded and stuck on 599.”

Amity furrowed her brows.

_Wow, that’s a really high number._

“He asked us if we could accompany him to the Engine Room. He wanted to meet the conductor of the train and fix his number so that way he could eventually get off. At first, my sister was against helping him. She insisted that passengers had to find their own way through the car. And that we had better things to do than help out someone we hardly knew. I was more sympathetic and argued that denizens are supposed to help passengers, as it is why we were created to begin with. We debated about it for a while. Eventually, the passenger interrupted us and said that if we came with him, he could help us get off the train.”

Amity perked up, and leaned forward as Lilith continued speaking.

“According to him, there was technology in the Engine Room that could allow for the creation of an exit door that denizens could use. This is when I became a little skeptical. Afterall, the train is meant to be our home. Denizens aren’t meant for the outside world, we were artificially created for the sole purpose of living on this train and helping passengers along the way. However, this piece of information is what swayed my sister into agreeing that we should help him. I knew she was intrigued by the possibility of a way off the train. She was always curious, exploring different possibilities, and seeking adventure. At the time, I wasn’t worried. I figured the passenger had just used it as a way to get us to help him, which I didn’t hold against him.”

Lilith sighed, rubbing her temple.

“So, we the next day we left the Witch Car. We traveled for weeks, traversing through hundreds of different cars. It was the first time my sister and I had explored the train so extensively. We both enjoyed it immensely, and were glad we had decided to accompany the passenger on his journey. As we traveled, we also befriended the passenger. We swapped stories, made it out of several life-or-death situations, and whatever else the train threw at us. After a long time, we finally reached the Engine Car. My sister and the passenger were elated. I was more curious to see who the conductor was, and ask him a few questions I had about how denizens were created.”

She paused, taking a moment to look down at her hands. Then, she spoke again, her voice lowered considerably.

“Once we entered, my sister and I had to leave our staffs at the entrance, as no weapons were allowed. We met One-One, the conductor. He was an odd fellow, not what I had expected at all. At first, everything was fine and going according to plan. One-One was deeply puzzled by the passenger’s number but was determined to find a solution to the problem. However, things took a turn for the worse when the passenger tried to kill One-One.”

Amity’s eyes widened.

_Holy shit._

“Turns out, he wanted to become the conductor and control the train himself. My sister and I were horrified. We saved One-One and tried to restrain the passenger, but he used one of my own transformation potions against us. He had nabbed it earlier, likely out of my coat pocket, before we had reached the Engine Room. He poured it into one of One-One’s cannons and fired it at me.”

Lilith frowned, looking contemplatively into the distance.

“It shames me to this day, but I froze in shock. I didn’t even try a spell circle. My sister’s magic was depleted from fighting off a monster in the previous car, so she couldn’t counter the attack either. She pushed me out of the way and took the hit for me. I’m not sure how he modified the canon, but he managed to inflict a dangerous curse on my sister, turning her into an Owl-Beast. In the chaos that ensued, he managed to escape.”

Lilith shook her head, biting her lip. 

“With One-One’s help, I managed to restrain my sister and get her to recognize me, which triggered another transformation back to her old self. But not before some damage was done.”

Lilith pulled up the back of her dress shirt, revealing a large scar crossing her back. Amity gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. Lilith chuckled at her reaction, and let go of her shirt before settling against the palm tree once more. 

“My sister was scared of how she had completely lost control, hurting me in the process. She was terrified of the curse she now held. Meanwhile, I felt extremely guilty. It was entirely my fault that she was cursed. I had been the first one to agree that we should help the passenger. And when I was in danger, rather than defend myself, my little sister had to save me instead. After that day, our relationship was never the same. Rather than blame me for the curse, she developed a deep resentment towards passengers. She no longer offered to help any that crossed our paths, and didn’t understand why I did. At the same time, my guilt for what had happened to her grew over time as we failed to uncover a cure as her condition worsened.”

All at once, Lilith ceased talking. It was completely silent, save for their faint breathing in midst of the heat that surrounded them, sticking to their skin. Seconds stretched to minutes until Amity finally cleared her throat, crossing her arms as she looked up at Lilith.

“Um, I understand if this is too hard to talk about. We can-”

“No,” Lilith abruptly cut her off. “I’m fine. I just… needed a minute.”

Amity nodded, relaxing once more. Lilith turned to face her.

“One day, we had a big argument after I came home late from helping another passenger. A lot of things were said on both ends that rubbed some nerves, and really hurt. Looking back on it now, it was clear that we had a lot of unresolved tension regarding the curse and the passenger that we never talked about. Unfortunately, it all came out in that fight. I left the house and never came back.”

Amity couldn’t restrain herself from interrupting, “What? Why?”

“My presence wasn’t helping my sister. So long as I continued helping passengers and held onto my guilt of what had happened, our relationship would be strained. I needed to do some soul-searching, and I couldn’t do it with the constant reminder of the curse everytime I looked at her. It also bothered me how the passenger had managed to escape, so I set out to find him and turn him in to One-One. And maybe along the way I’d find a lead on how to cure the curse.”

Amity swallowed. She thought back to her own siblings, to whom guilt was a foreign feeling. They never felt sorry for anything they did, no matter how reckless or who was hurt. Amity grit her teeth, shaking her head to rid herself of such thoughts. Reminiscing would do little to help anything anyway. She returned her attention back to Lilith.

“I’ve been traveling through the train for a long time. Along the way, I’ve stopped by the Witch Car as needed to refuel my magic. But I haven’t seen my sister since that fight.”

“Don’t you miss her?” Amity asked softly. “It seems like you care a great deal for her.”

Lilith’s throat tightened, “I do. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wonder how she’s doing. If she’s okay… but honestly I think she’s probably better off without me.”

Amity’s heart broke for this woman. Never before had she encountered someone so dead set on helping others, even at their own expense. In Lilith, she saw a kindred spirit. Someone who meant well, and did their best when committed to a goal, but felt like they themself weren't worth anything at all.

“I don’t think that’s true,” Amity’s voice cracked. “It seems to me that you were both extremely close before everything happened. I don’t think that connection would fade away so easily, given how much you still think about her. I’m sure if you saw her again, there’s still time to reconcile.”

Amity stopped, not knowing what else to say. No one talked for a few minutes, until Lilith broke the silence.

“Maybe,” Lilith murmured. “Maybe one day. But not until after I’ve caught the passenger.”

“How do you know he’s still on the train?” Amity tilted her head quizzically. 

Lilith opened and closed her mouth. She hesitated for a moment. Then-

“Because he’s actually a denizen.”

\--- --- ---

Edric yawned, stretching his arms out and nearly smacking Emira in the face. She grimaced and swatted at him in response.

“Watch it,” She snapped.

“Yeah yeah…” He stifled another yawn and rose to his feet from the couch.

Their parents still weren’t back from the police station. It was now 11PM. Too early to go to bed, but maybe he could play some video games upstairs. Right after a snack of course. 

Edric walked over to the kitchen, opening the cabinet and rifling through several packages to find the Oreos. He pulled out the box and set it on the counter. Edric grabbed oat milk from the fridge and poured himself a glass. Emira watched him from the couch. 

“Bring me back a few cookies,” she called out.

“No,” He put the oat milk back in the fridge, closing the door with his hip.

“Ugh,” Emira groaned as she picked herself off the couch and made her way into the kitchen.

She pushed Edric out of the way so she could grab the regular milk from the fridge. After serving herself, she walked back to the couch, snacks and drink in tow. Edric followed closely behind her. They sat at opposite ends of the couch, scrolling through their phones as they polished off the cookies, washing them down with milk.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed with a new notification from an unknown number. Edric jumped, fumbling his phone and dropping it. It fell to the ground with a loud clatter, startling Emira. She looked up and smirked.

“Is it your boyfriend?”

Edric flushed, “No!” He picked up the phone and tapped his password to unlock it. “I don’t know who it is, it’s just some random number.”

Emira perked up, “Is it from Mittens?”

Edric sat up on the couch and opened the message, hands a bit shaky. This could finally be the lead they had been waiting for. He read it to himself silently, before shaking his head. 

“Nope. Just another scam. Ugh,” He flopped back onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

_Just where the hell are you, Amity?_

Suddenly, a green flash shone through the open windows. Emira winced, blinking her eyes as she turned her attention to the windows facing the street. Her brows furrowed.

“Did you see that?” She nudged her brother with her elbow.

“See what?”

“You’re hopeless,” Emira rolled her eyes. “C’mon, get up. I think there’s something outside.”

Curious, Edric rose to his feet and followed Emira to the door. She opened it and led them outside, down the steps leading to their front door… where a long, rusted train was waiting for them. They exchanged a look, before nodding to each other and approaching the train warily.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Emira wondered out loud, looking around to see if anyone else was outdoors. But it was just them.

“I don’t think so. Looks pretty real to me.” He examined the train, noting the windows that pulsed with a green glow. 

The train doors closest to them hissed open as a shrill whistle pierced the air. The lettering of a sign above the doors flipped rapidly, before changing to _Autumn_. Edric hummed to himself. 

“Maybe this is what happened to Mittens. Maybe she got on a mysterious train like this one.”

“Really?” Emira wrinkled her nose.

“Well, yeah,” Edric frowned. “Nothing else makes sense at this point.”

“Besides literally anything more plausible than a magical train appearing out of nowhere.” Emira muttered to herself.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Emira turned to face her brother and clapped her hands together. “So, should we get on?”

Edric grinned, “I don’t see why not.”

_I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?_

Little did they know what was to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/godless_glasses), [tumblr](https://lexa-alycia.tumblr.com), [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/godless.glasses/)


	6. Mischief & Mayhem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz makes a mess- Willow and Gus aren't pleased.
> 
> Eda and King track down Tibbles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a difficult chapter for me to write- but I really like how it all came together. Apologies for being a day late, the writer's block is real (also I got caught up reading a bunch of amazing lumity fanfics). On the bright side! Next chapter will have a meeting y'all have been patiently waiting for :))
> 
> Update 11/17:  
> Art commission by [@shadowspd](https://www.instagram.com/shadowspd/) on Instagram. I forgot to ask for round eared Willow and Gus, so pretend that's there lol.

“I told you not to eat everything on the table,” Willow sighed and rubbed her temple. “Honestly, at this point I don’t know why I’m even surprised.”

Luz groaned, rolling onto her stomach from where she had been seated on the ground.

“How could I resist?” Luz weakly raised a fist in the air. “There’s food everywhere in this car and we hadn’t eaten in _hours_. The only thing to eat in the Spa Car were the cucumbers and complimentary breath mints! And I hate cucumbers!”

Gus snorted. Willow looked between him and Luz before speaking again.

“It’s called using self-control,” Willow stood from the dining table with her hands on her hips and peered down at Luz’s prone form over the rim of her glasses. “Ever heard of it?”

“And for the record, there were also sugar cookies,” Gus added from his seat at the table.

Luz grunted in response. She flopped onto her back and shielded her eyes against the bright red cherry sun hanging high in the mid-morning sky. She watched as a few pink cotton-candy clouds drifted slowly past. With great care, she sat up and massaged her stomach. 

“Gus, I’m lactose intolerant,” She ran a hand through her messy brown hair, looking up at Willow with a raised chin. “And I’ll have you know that I am perfectly capable of self-control.”

The even look Willow leveled at Luz made it clear that she disagreed with her sentiment.

It had been a week since they had left the Witch Car. Since then, the trio had traversed through several cars. Surprisingly, most of them were rather pleasant and uneventful. The Pencil Bank had been a bit of a bore, as the pencils were too focused on their jobs to be of any interest to Luz, Willow, and Gus. Plus, the door opened for them with no trouble. 

The Ball Pit Car was a more exciting change of pace (although Willow would vehemently disagree) and Luz had a great time goofing around and playing on the enormous jungle gym. 

Besides the troubling lack of food, the Spa Car had been her favorite car thus far, and it was just what Luz had needed after going several days without showering. 

Despite the interesting variety of cars Luz had been able to explore during her short time on the train, there had been something about the Witch Car that made it so that her brief time spent inside the car was always lingering in the back of her mind.

Maybe it had to do with the magical nature of the car.

Maybe it was because it had been her first train car, and where she had met Willow and Gus.

And maybe, just maybe, it had to do with the gruff witch and adorable demon she had briefly encountered during her stay.

Gus rose from his seat, slamming his hands on the table dramatically which startled Luz out of her thoughts. Willow jumped, placing a hand over her heart, and scowled at her friend.

“Well, now that we’ve all eaten we should try to find the exit door,” Gus rubbed his hands together excitedly. “I hope this car makes us work for it,” He grinned.

“I don’t,” Willow retorted. “It’d be great if all exit doors opened without having to do anything.”

Luz stood from the ground, wincing as an intense wave of nausea rolled through her. She bent over, hands on her knees. Her eyes began to water and Luz blinked back tears. 

“Uh guys,” Luz’s stomach churned again, and she covered her mouth with a hand. “I don’t feel so good.”

Willow and Gus exchanged a nervous look. Gus tentatively took a step forward, and then another. Willow stood behind him, watching carefully as the scene unfolded.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Gus spoke softly. “Why don’t you sit down again and I’ll get you some water.”

Luz looked up at him from where she had been staring at the ground. She managed a smile.

“Sounds like a plan my man,” Luz winked and threw a pair of finger guns at him, but not a moment later her face soured. She bent over, hands on her knees again and let out a groan.

“Luz, are you alright?” Gus frowned and reached out to his friend. Luz grunted, covering her mouth again as she tried to fight the unsettling feeling rising in her stomach. Willow gasped.

“Gus, get back now. I think she’s gonna-”

“Urp- Urgh!” Luz retched, spilling the contents of her stomach all over Gus’ shoes.

Gus’ eyes widened in horror as his sneakers were covered in pasty yellow sludge. 

“Not my Jordans!”

His brows scrunched together and his nose curled as the smell finally hit him. Cringing, Gus turned away from Luz and let out a groan of frustration as he tried to wipe his shoes off in the green sour straw grass. 

Willow winced from her spot a few feet away from Luz, pinching her nose to stifle the rancid smell, and took a couple of steps back. 

“My bad,” Luz laughed nervously, standing upright as she rubbed the back of her hand against her mouth. 

Gus ignored her, intent on cleaning his ruined shoes while Willow simply shook her head, exasperated by Luz’s actions. Not knowing what to do with herself, Luz fiddled with her watch, twisting it around her wrist, and rocked back on her feet. She cleared her throat and coughed awkwardly.

“Um, do one of you have a breath mint by any chance?”

“Luz!”

\---- ---- ----

“King, wake up. We’re here.”

King grumbled from his spot on Eda’s shoulder, where he had fallen asleep. Still groggy, he sat up and rubbed his eyes before blinking them open.

“Weh?”

King took in his surroundings. The Black Market Train was poorly lit, with large dark green leaves hanging low and blocking out any sunlight. Dull-colored buildings surrounded the marketplace, where several stands stood. Eda and King make their way past a drugstore with an orange neon sign flickering on and off, across the town square. Denizen slugs stood behind stands, chatting with potential customers, trying to sell their wares as grey goop gathered on the ground around them. A slug called out to the duo as Eda and King walked by their stand.

“Fresh batch of passenger memory tapes, two for one today only, real sad!”

“Hmm, not bad,” Eda hummed. “What do you think, King?” 

“Maybe on our way out,” King narrowed his eyes. “We should find Tibbles first.”

Eda grinned, and her grip on her staff tightened. 

“Works for me.”

Eda and King rounded a corner and spotted what they were looking for. The Black Shell Tavern wasn’t very impressive on the outside. Grey smoke came out in small puffs from a small opening in the roof. Its walls were covered with chipped black paint. A large, rusty sign with faded letters hung above the door, on the verge of falling off and landing on some poor schmuck.

Not that Eda particularly cared, she was a witch on a mission.

They reached the entrance, and Eda grabbed the door handle and pushed it open. Inside, a bar was set against the far wall, with a wide variety of alcoholic drinks stacked in neat rows on a few shelves. To the left were several round wooden tables filled with denizens and passengers alike, chatting and playing drinking games. To the right was a large fireplace set with granite, where a warm fire crackled. Two pool tables were placed in front of the fireplace, where a pair of passengers were playing against turtle denizens. On the left of the bar were closed double doors with a purple lizard denizen standing in front of them.

Eda made her way up to the bar and sat on a high stool, with King plopping down next to her. The bartender, a slug denizen, noticed their arrival and creeped over, leaving a trail of sludge behind as they reached the duo.

“What can I getcha?” Their beady eyes bounced from Eda to King.

“One old fashioned, and for him hot cider,” Eda gestured to King.

“Got it, I’ll be back in a sec,” The slug moved away to prepare their drinks.

“Eda are you sure he’s here?” King looked around. “I don’t see Tibbles anywhere.”

“That’s because you don’t know where to look,” Eda leaned in close to King, lowering her voice. “See those red double doors, with the lizard standing in front of them?” King nodded his head.

“If Tibbles is anywhere, he’s gotta be in that room. I have it on good authority that the owner of this place is one of his new business partners,” Eda rubbed her chin. “Seems like he’s moved on from pyramid schemes to something else, I just don’t know what.” King hummed.

“Well, whatever it is, I doubt it’s anything good.”

The bartender set down their drinks, and moved on to help another pair of customers. Eda and King took their time, enjoying the laid back atmosphere of the tavern and sipping at their drinks. After around ten minutes, King let out a rather loud burp. Eda snorted and turned to face her oldest friend. She cocked her head to the side.

“Ready to roll?”

King nodded his head, rubbing his paws together excitedly.

“You know it.”

They stood from their seats at the bar. King hopped to the floor while Eda left a few snails on the table for their drinks. Both made their way to the lizard standing guard in front of the red double doors. He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms as they approached.

“VIPs only,” He grunted.

“Perfect!” Eda grinned. “I am a very important person. Now move, or I’ll make you.”

“Is that a threat?” The lizard straightened, and he stood a good two feet over Eda. But she wasn’t fazed at all. In her long life, Eda had faced denizens far more threatening. 

“Only if you don’t move,” King said.

The lizard looked down and King and scoffed.

“I wasn’t talking to you, pipsqueak.”

King let out an angry squeal, and moved towards the lizard before Eda blocked him with her staff. 

“Don’t worry King, I got this,” Eda smirked.

\---- ---- ----

In the time that Luz had spent traveling with Willow and Gus, she had gotten to know them a bit better. She learned that they were all from California, with Willow living in San Francisco while Gus lived in Oakland. She was a bit disappointed to hear that neither of them were from Los Angeles, but it was heartening to know that they all lived in the same state.

Willow had even warmed up to her, albeit only a little. She no longer glared at Luz whenever they made eye contact. Instead, she only expressed discontent whenever Luz didn't listen and took ill-advised action that got them in trouble. Which was understandable, given that the train was extremely dangerous.

Much to her displeasure, Luz was no closer to learning why they were on the train. She had shared how she got on the train, hoping it would make them open up, but they didn’t say anything. Not even Gus, who shared her goofy enthusiasm, curious nature, and quirky sense of humor. 

After Luz’s _accident_ , the trio decided to find the exit door, making sure to stock up on their favorite food and snacks along the way. Willow and Gus walked together in front of Luz while she trailed behind them, still feeling slightly guilty for ruining Gus’ shoes earlier. They passed colorful apple trees, blueberry bushes, and grape orchards as they traversed through the Food Car. Luz looked up and observed the multicolor cotton candy clouds drift slowly through the sky. She tried to see if any made distinct shapes or animals, but they all looked like amorphous blobs. With a sigh, she continued on, her feet slightly sticking to the laffy taffy road. 

After some time, the trio came across a fork in the road. A sign indicated Marshmallow Mountain was to the left, while Hot Cocoa Falls was to the right. Willow and Gus stopped in front of the sign, and Luz was able to catch up to them. 

Gus scrunched his eyebrows together in thought.

“Which way should we go?” 

“Marshmallow Mountain sounds tasty- I mean good!” Luz quickly corrected herself.

“I think we should try Hot Cocoa Falls,” Willow tapped her chin. “Marshmallow Mountain will be a hike and we’ll have to backtrack if the exit door isn’t there.”

Willow and Luz turned to Gus, waiting to see what he thought. He hummed.

“Hot Cocoa Falls is, logically, the right choice. _But_ I am in the mood for some marshmallows.”

Luz whooped and spun around in a circle, pumping her arms through the air. 

“Yeah yeah yeah!”

Willow frowned, and stepped closer to Gus.

“Really?”

“What? I haven’t had marshmallows in ages! Maybe we can make some s’mores!”

“Oooh! I hope we find graham crackers and pure chocolate on the way!”

“Luz, I thought you were lactose intolerant?” Willow tilted her head quizzically. 

“Pure chocolate doesn’t have any dairy! Also, in case you were wondering- marshmallows are made with sugar, water, and gelatin. So I’m good to go!” Luz rubbed her hands together.

“Well then, it’s settled. Let’s go to Marshmallow Mountain!” Gus pointed dramatically.

“Gus, it’s the other way.”

“Right! I knew that!”

The trio set off again, this time with a clear destination in mind. They walked for a few hours, until they finally reached the base of Marshmallow Mountain. Much to Luz and Gus’ disappointment, they had yet to find any graham crackers or chocolate. 

“We made it!” Luz exclaimed.

“Yeah, but we still have to climb the mountain.”

“Aw, don’t be such a debbie downer Willow.” 

“It’s a part of my charm,” Willow smirked.

Luz and Gus snorted. 

Together, the group began their trek up the mountain. About halfway there, Gus flopped onto a pink marshmallow, arms spread out.

“I need a break,” His voice came out slightly muffled.

Luz wiped the sweat from her forehead, and checked the time on her watch. Willow stopped next to her and stretched out her arms.

“Well, we have some time before sunset, so a break should be fine.”

Willow sat down on a white marshmallow next to Gus, leaning back on her hands. Luz looked around where they had stopped, seeing nothing but marshmallows. Luz frowned.

“Isn’t weird that we’ve been here for nearly an entire day but still haven’t run into any denizens?” 

She turned to look at Willow and Gus. Gus grunted from his spot on the marshmallow. Willow looked at Luz, raising an eyebrow.

“Please don’t jinx us.”

“Hey! I won’t,” Luz put her hands up defensively. “I just thought I should point it out.”

“You’re not wrong,” Willow conceded. “But we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it. So far, we’ve run into denizens in every car. I don’t see why this car would be any different.”

After resting for about 20 minutes, the group continued on their way. After walking for another hour, they finally reached the summit of the mountain. They spotted a group of twizzler denizens huddled around a campfire holding-

“Are those s’mores?!” Luz gasped, raising her arms and pressing her hands to her cheeks.

The denizens looked up and noticed the group. They made no move to greet them. 

Luz turned to Willow and Gus, barely able to contain her excitement.

“I can’t believe it! What are the odds we’d run into denizens and that they’d be making s’mores? This is amazing!”

“Yeah, but it seems like too much of a coincidence,” Willow scrutinized the denizens.

“Let’s go see if they’re willing to share!” Luz grabbed Gus’ arm and attempted to pull him towards the denizens. “C’mon Gus!”

Gus dug his feet into the ground, resisting Luz’s efforts.

“Wait! I’m with Willow on this one. We should play it safe and just ignore them.”

“What?” Luz pouted. “But you wanted to eat s’mores just as much as I did!”

“I know, and I still do,” Gus rubbed the back of his neck. “But they don’t seem very welcoming, and not all denizens like passengers. So it’s probably for the best if we just continue looking for the exit door.”

Luz’s shoulders slumped.

“But they’re _right_ there!” She waved a hand in the direction of the denizens. “It won’t hurt to just say hi at least.”

“Uh Luz,” Willow raised an eyebrow skeptically. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

Luz shook her head, her mind made up.

“I’ll show you both! This is nothing a little bit of the Noceda charm can’t handle.”

And with that, Luz turned and raced over to the denizens. Gus sighed, and Willow pinched her nose.

“One of these days she’s going to get herself seriously hurt, or worse.”

“I know,” Gus smiled sheepishly. “But we’ll be there beside her, right?”

Willow huffed, rolling her eyes as she turned to see Luz begin to speak to the denizens.

“Yeah, well” She scratched the back of her head. “I’m not sure if there’s anyone else who could put up with her ridiculous antics.”

\---- ---- ----

Elsewhere on the train, Amity Blight let out a violent sneeze, startling her companion.

“Ah- _achoo_!”

“Are you alright? Do you need a tissue?”

“No, I’m okay Lilith. I just have a weird feeling that someone’s talking about me.”

Lilith nodded in understanding. 

“Yes, that happens to me as well,” Her nose wrinkled. “Far more often than I would like.”

\---- ---- ----

Gus playfully punched Willow’s arm.

“Aw c’mon, I know she’s growing on you.”

Willow swatted at Gus, pushing him away.

“Maybe a little, but that’s neither here nor there.”

Willow and Gus turned back to see how Luz was faring, but she was nowhere to be seen. The denizens were gone too. 

“What the- They were just here!” Gus stuttered, utterly flabbergasted.

“This isn’t good at all,” Willow scanned their surroundings to see where they might have gone. After a moment, she grabbed Gus’ shoulder and pointed. “There! Do you see that small trail behind the campfire? They must have gone that way.” Gus nodded.

“Let’s go.”

Willow and Gus took off after their friend. Willow led the way, with Gus following close behind. They made it past the campfire, which crackled and popped as it began to die down, and into the mulberry trees, following the narrow trail, and a set of messy footprints that couldn’t have belonged to anyone other than Luz. After a few minutes, the pair began to hear voices. They slowed down and crouched behind a fallen tree, trying to listen in to the conversation.

“This passenger will make a lovely sacrifice. Let’s make for the exit door.”

Willow and Gus’ turned to look at each other, eyes widening in horror. Gus’ face tightened and he chanced a look over the felled tree to see what was happening on the other side. He saw Luz’s hands and legs bound by thick strips of twizzler, and her mouth was stuffed with mini marshmallows to keep her from speaking. A rather large red twizzler was holding her in a fireman’s carry over their shoulder. The twizzlers began walking again, towards a gingerbread house a ways from where they were currently situated. Gus and Willow followed them, making sure to stay out of sight and limit any noises they were making.

The twizzlers made it to the gingerbread house and rapped on the door twice. A gingerbread man wearing a pair of blue jean overalls opened the door.

“What is it? I was just having a glass of milk.”

One of the twizzlers spoke up.

“We have a sacrifice, sir. We were able to lure and trap a passenger by roasting s’mores.”

The gingerbread man grunted.

“Good,” He pulled a golden key from his pocket and handed it to the nearest denizen. “Now, be quick about it and return this to me when you’re done. We don’t know when the next milkshake will strike, and we need to prevent it at all cost.”

The twizzlers all nodded, thanking the gingerbread man as he closed the door with a soft click. They walked around the house to the back, where a red exit door was set against the wall of the car. Luz grunted, trying to speak as she struggled against her binding. The group of twizzlers ignored her. A black twizzler unlocked the door, and with a faint click it opened. A warm blast of air from the Wasteland hit Willow and Gus. They shivered, fearing for Luz’s safety. 

The twizzlers exited the car, gathering on the metal platform just outside the exit door. Willow and Gus crept carefully to the door, peering outside to see what was happening. One of the twizzlers set Luz down on the ground and smacked the back of her head, making her cough up the mini marshmallows. She gasped for air, speaking weakly.

“That was _not_ what I had in mind when I said I wanted s’more earlier today.” 

One of the twizzlers stepped forward, and gripped her chin, tilting it upwards.

“Passenger, any last words before we toss you off the train?”

Luz looked around frantically, the reality of the situation finally setting in.

“Wait! Please don’t do that! If I die here my mom’s going to kill me!”

The twizzler simply chuckled in response.

“Well, she’ll have nothing at all to worry about soon enough.”

The twizzler nodded to one of their companions, and they grabbed Luz under her armpits and began to drag her to the edge of the platform. Once they reached the edge, the twizzler grabbed Luz by the back of her t-shirt and held her close. Luz struggled in their grasp, but it was useless. Twizzlers were surprisingly strong for being made out of candy. 

Luz’s eyes began to water as she watched the Wasteland speed by below her, with the train moving quickly through the desert. The twizzler pushed her closer to the edge until her feet were halfway off the train. Luz leaned back to avoid losing her balance and falling off.

“You don’t have to do this!” Luz begged the twizzler.

“Yes I do,” They replied curtly.

The twizzler moved to push her off the train, and Luz let out a frightened squeak, when a familiar voice rang out, interrupting them.

“Stop right there!”

Bewildered, the twizzler turned to see two passengers facing them. They were surrounded by the other twizzlers, though that didn’t seem to deter them.

“Let Luz go!” Willow shouted.

“Yeah! Or else!” Gus scowled, placing his hands on his hips.

Luz smiled, and hopped away from the edge to get a better look at her friends.

“Aw, you guys are the best!”

The twizzler in charge rolled their eyes. 

“Fred, do it now.”

Fred nodded, and turned to Luz. Willow and Gus gasped and rushed over to help her, but were blocked by the remaining twizzlers standing by the exit door.

“Get out of my way, you glorified excuse for a red vine!” Willow yelled, trying to shove her way past the twizzlers to her friend. 

A red twizzler gasped.

“Rude!”

Meanwhile, Luz faced off against Fred. She held out her bound hands defensively. 

“Look, I don’t want to fight,” She swallowed. “If you just let me go, I won’t hold this against you. My friends and I will be on our way to the next car.”

Fred shook his head.

“You don’t understand anything. Sacrificing passengers is the only way to avoid another milkshake. The last time one struck, it killed my entire family.”

Luz frowned.

“But that doesn’t make any sense. Train cars are made for passengers to learn and grow as they travel through them,” Her frown deepened. “It’d be totally counterproductive to kill them!”

Fred scowled.

“That’s what you think,” He stepped closer to Luz, backing her towards the edge of the platform. “The Apex reveals the truth.”

With that, he tackled Luz off the train.

\---- ---- ----

The lizard flew through the double doors with a loud crash, flying backwards and smacking against the far wall with a thud. He slid to the floor with a groan of pain. Eda and King stepped through the doorway and scanned the several shocked faces staring back at them. Eda’s eyes landed on Tibbles, who was seated next to a blue lizard placed at the head of the rectangular table. He paled.

“We’re here for Tibbles,” Eda raised her staff and slammed it against the floor, sending a shockwave of magical energy through the room. “If he comes quietly, there won’t be any more trouble.”

The denizens seated around the table exchanged nervous looks. The lizard next to Tibbles stood abruptly, grabbing the pig-demon by his collar. He scowled at Tibbles before looking back to Eda and King.

“Fine, however I will request that you return him to us in one piece. He is needed for upcoming negotiations with the leader of the Colosseum Car.”

“One piece, huh?” Eda leveled a threatening look at Tibbles, who let out a whimper.

“We can make that work,” King said.

“For a price,” Eda finished.

“How much?” The lizard sighed. “It’ll come out of Tibbles’ commission, so I don’t care.”

“100,000 snails,” Eda said. 

Tibbles squeaked. The lizard rolled his eyes. 

“Deal,” He tossed Tibbles across the room. Tibbles yelped and hit the floor with a satisfying thud. Eda bent down and tucked him under her arm.

“Lovely,” Eda turned to walk out the door and called out over her shoulder. “We’ll be back within the hour.”

Eda and King exited the tavern with Tibbles in tow. They rounded the corner of the building and headed down a narrow side street into a deserted alleyway. Eda dropped Tibbles and leaned against the brick wall, facing him with a look of disdain. King huffed and stepped in front of Eda, glaring at Tibbles.

“Why did you kidnap me?”

Tibbles pushed up his broken glasses and stood up, holding his hands behind his back.

“I’m afraid I can’t disclose that information to you.”

King walked up to Tibbles and pushed him, making him fall to the ground with a grunt.

“We said we’d return you in one piece, but that doesn’t mean we won’t do anything to make you talk.”

From her position behind King, Eda drew a spell circle, and ignited a fire from her palm. She held it in her hand menacingly, challenging Tibbles to question King’s threat. Tibbles gulped, losing his previous confidence, and rocked back on his feet.

“Okay, okay,” Tibbles nodded and pushed up his glasses again. “I’ll tell you everything, please don’t hurt me.”

Eda extinguished the flame with a wave of her hand. King clapped his paws together and pointed at Tibbles.

“Start talking.”

“Well, it all started years ago, when I decided to get into the business of scamming foolish denizens and passengers in order to make a living for myself. My mother always said-”

“Shut it,” Eda cut him off. “I don’t want to hear your autobiography, get to the point.”

Tibbles nodded, adjusting his bowtie before starting again.

“The leader of the Colosseum Car wants you captured. He offered my associates and I a fantastic deal. If we continued stealing passenger pods along with capturing you, he’d fund our illicit activities for the foreseeable future, without having to pay him back.”

Eda held up a hand, stopping Tibbles.

“Wait, you’ve been stealing passenger pods?”

_That explains why that one girl back in the Witch Car woke up without one._

“Yes, I was instructed to ensure that new passengers did not receive orientation from One-One. I thought tracking passenger pods and removing passengers from them before they woke up was the best way to do that,” Tibbles smiled. “Plus, we made extra cash selling the pods as an easy way to travel from car to car, after messing around with their programming.”

“Why did he want Eda captured?” King asked.

“Now that, I don’t know. He wouldn’t say anything other than that she was an old friend.”

Eda’s eyes narrowed. 

“His name.”

“What?” Tibbles looked at her, confused.

“What is his name?” She repeated, slightly irritated.

Tibbles' expression turned smug, a sly grin forming on his face.

“Belos. His full title is Emperor Belos.”

Eda tensed, her grip tightening on her staff. King looked up at his friend worriedly. Tibbles continued speaking, unbothered by their reactions.

“He’s been leading the Colosseum Car for some time now. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of him. He’s working on growing his number of followers, they call themselves the Apex.”

Eda scowled.

_So that’s where that little weasel has been hiding._

Eda turned away from Tibbles and walked to the entrance of the alleyway. Her stomach churned as memories from years ago began to surface. An arduous journey to the engine room. Her sister. The curse.

She grit her teeth.

“King, we’re leaving.”

“What? But we haven’t even-”

“ _Now_ King.”

King paused, realizing that Eda was serious.

“Okay, I’m right behind you.”

King followed Eda as they left Tibbles behind in the alleyway. He smirked to himself.

“Fools. You have no idea how much power Belos holds.”

Tibbles rose from the ground, dusting himself off briefly before making his way back to the tavern, where his business partners awaited. He would have to contact Belos right away, and inform him that the Owl Lady was on her way to see him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/godless_glasses), [tumblr](https://lexa-alycia.tumblr.com), [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/godless.glasses/)


	7. Fortuna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two paths diverge, and another two merge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! This chapter ended up being super long, hence the late update. I recently got a beta, Theatrical72, who looked over this chapter for me. They have a great fic called [The Owl Family](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26952946/chapters/65782516) that is worth the read! Their storytelling, characterization, and plot line is amazing! I'm beta reading from chapter 8 on and it just gets better and better. 
> 
> Art by [@ashesofking](https://www.instagram.com/ashesofking/) on Instagram. I forgot to ask for pointy-eared Lilith so pretend that's there OR imagine that she decided to use Illusion magic to go undercover to gather info.
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. I struggled but had a lot of fun writing it! Feel free comment who's your favorite character and/or what your favorite scene/chapter is thus far! I love hearing back from y'all!

Luz screamed as she fell from the train, twisting in the air as she grappled with Fred. He held on tightly to her shirt and Luz squirmed in his grasp as they rapidly approached the ground. She managed to shift her weight at the last second, and landed on top of the twizzler denizen just as they hit the hard-packed dirt of the Wasteland. 

Luz rolled a couple of feet away from Fred, and fell back onto her backpack. Other than scattered purple bruises on her arms and legs, she had managed to make it off the train in one piece. Feeling unbelievably worn out, she stared up at the darkened orange sky, her heart racing. After a few seconds, she released the breath she had been holding in. 

_I’m alive._

Her eyes watered, tears forming at the corner of her eyes in relief.

_I’m alive!_

Meanwhile, Fred groaned from his spot on the ground. The denizen was bent completely out of shape. With a grunt he sat up and flexed his rubbery limbs so that they snapped back into place. He noticed Luz was still breathing and frowned.

“Looks like I still need to finish the job,” He muttered under his breath. 

He rose to his feet and began making his way over to Luz. Once she heard soft footsteps growing closer, Luz looked away from the burned orange sky and noticed the denizen approaching her. Her eyes widened and she scrambled quickly to her feet, pushing up off the ground awkwardly with her hands and feet still tightly bound. 

Luz tried to hop away from Fred, back towards the train but the denizen caught up to her in no time. He hooked a leg around one of her ankles and tripped the passenger, making her stumble and lose her balance. Luz fell with a startled yelp, and she felt her nose crack as she made contact with the ground. She let out a hiss of pain as her nose began to throb, and blood trickled down her face, gathering at her upper lip.

The denizen flipped her onto her back with a nudge of his foot. Luz gasped at the sudden movement, landing hard on a bruised part of her arm. Fred looked down at her with utter disdain, nose curled in disgust.

“I don’t know how you survived the fall,” He scoffed. “But fortunately for me, your luck has finally run out.” 

Despite everything, Luz tried to put on a brave front. If nothing else, to help combat the creeping despair she felt encroaching on all sides. She managed a weak smile.

“I don’t know about that,” Her voice cracked. “I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

Fred didn’t bother responding. His eyes narrowed and he crouched down, placing his sticky twizzler hands around Luz’s throat. Her mouth dried and she miraculously refrained from screaming. Instead, Luz squirmed in his tightening grip, struggling to free herself before it was too late. 

Her vision began to blur, hazy black spots appearing as Fred began laughing. Tear tracks stained her dirt-smudged face and she let out a wheeze of air. Luz felt herself weakening, and her eyes fluttered as she struggled to remain conscious. 

_Lo siento mamá._

Luz’s eyes shuttered close just as a black creature leapt onto Fred, knocking him off of Luz. He cursed as he wrangled the dog-roach off of him. He rolled to his feet, panting heavily.

“Damn ghom!” He cursed and turned to run back to the train, but the ghom tackled him again. 

“There is a perfectly good passenger _right_ there!” 

Meanwhile, Luz blinked her eyes open and coughed violently as her lungs filled with air. Her sweaty hands were closed into tight fists and she tried to relax them as she slowly sat up. Her body trembled as she took in the new creature before her.

The ghom had the feelers and wings of a cockroach with the legs of a dog. Its pitch black fur stood out against the muddled orange-brown landscape of the Wasteland. It had pinned down the red twizzler, chirping softly as it leaned closer to him. Fred screamed and flailed, but the ghom did not budge. 

Luz’s eyebrows furrowed as she watched the ghom’s tentacle covered mouth open and begin to suck the life force out of the denizen. Her face contorted in horror as Fred’s body aged, turning from dark red to pink, and then completely disintegrated, leaving behind only a pile of colored ash within seconds. 

The twizzlers that were wrapped around Luz’s ankles and wrists crumbled away as soon as Fred disappeared. She examined her hands in shock, trying to make sense of what had just happened. 

Luz was quickly pulled out of her scattered thoughts as more ghoms appeared, digging out from their underground burrows through widening cracks in the ground. Shrill chirps and clicks pierced the air, and Luz felt her stomach drop as they turned to face her. It was clear that she would be next.

Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead and Luz rose unsteadily to her feet. Her heart thumped erratically in her chest. She took one step back, and then two. The ghoms made no move to follow. Luz took another step back but happened to step on a dead tree branch. The blackened limb snapped loudly under her shoe and she winced. 

_Oh no._

The ghoms perked up, and started growling. All at once they took off in Luz’s direction. Luz turned on her feet and broke out into a desperate run towards the train. Her arms pumped through the air and her feet pounded against the ground as she pushed herself to run as fast as possible. Behind her, the sounds of chirping grew louder as the ghoms gained on her. 

_50 feet. 40 feet. 30 feet. 20 feet._

Luz’s battered body screamed at her to stop but she pushed on, her breath coming out in short huffs. 

_I’m so close._

And just when she thought she was in the clear, the ground in front of her cracked open, and a large ghom blocked her path. She skidded to a halt to avoid crashing into the demon-dog. The ghoms chasing after her grew closer, their barks and chirps becoming steadily louder. Panicking, Luz looked to her left and then to her right. The ghom before her snarled and sprang forward. Luz dove to her left, narrowly missing the ghom by centimeters. With a groan, she struggled to her feet, her knees sore and bruised from the rushed dive. 

The train loomed in front of her, impossibly large, stretching to the ends of the Wasteland. The cars whipped past her rapidly. There was no way to get on without getting turned into mincemeat. Luz looked around wildly, seeing if there was anything she could use to get on. 

Meanwhile, the ghom had risen from the ground and its feelers were wiggling in the air, trying to sense where she had gone. Even better, the ghoms that had been chasing after Luz were almost on her. Noticing this, her shoulders tensed and she gulped, gripping the straps of her backpack tightly. 

_C’mon, think!_

Her mind raced with several possibilities, but none of them would work without getting herself killed. Not knowing what else to do, she defaulted to recalling the countless times her childhood hero, The Good Witch Azura, had been similarly cornered when facing foes. Luz thought back to book four, when Azura faced off against an angry griffin who blocked her path to the rebellion’s camp. And for the first time since falling off the train, her mouth curled into a wide grin. She snapped her fingers.

“That’s it!” 

A crazy, half-baked plan was far from ideal, but it was her best shot.

_I have to do this fast. Otherwise, I’m toast!_

Mind made up, she faced the ghom that had surprised her earlier and charged, letting out a piercing war cry. Taken aback, the ghom balked in confusion, but quickly corrected itself. It growled and solidified its wide stance, preparing to fight her head on. 

It certainly did not expect Luz to jump on top of its head and swing around, grabbing its feelers for support. She whipped them back as if holding a pair of reins. The ghom squealed in pain and tried to buck her off, but Luz clung on for dear life. She dug her heels into the sides of the demon-dog, spurring it into the air as she tried to steer using its feelers.

“Yip yip!”

The ghom took off in the direction of the train, rising in the air until they were hovering about 10 feet above the train. Luz grinned, amazed that her plan had actually worked. Deciding to get away from the ghom as soon as possible, she leapt from its back and landed on top of the train car with a thud, rolling to absorb the shock. 

_Looks like cheerleading tryouts weren’t a complete waste of time after all._

Bone weary, she gradually rose to her feet, and crept to the edge of the car to find a way down onto the platform. Thankfully, the ghom didn’t follow her, electing instead to fly back home to the Wasteland. She peered over the edge and saw a set of metal rungs attached to the side of the car. 

Sighing in relief, Luz turned around and carefully lowered herself onto the first set of rungs. She climbed down the ladder and landed on the platform safely, her legs trembling from having barely survived yet another near-death experience. Taking in a breath to calm her heart rate, she walked over to the red door that would open to reveal the next car. Before she reached for the door handle, she wiped her sweaty palms against her jean shorts, and noticed the familiar green glow of her right hand. 

Holding a breath in anticipation, she raised her hand to her face and flipped it to see if her number had changed at all. The same number, 125, flashed back at her. She groaned, stomping her feet in frustration. 

“I’ve been here for over a week and nothing!” She pushed a hand through her hair, feeling utterly peeved. “Even Hecate had faster character development than me, and it took her an entire book to befriend Azura after changing sides!”

Luz grumbled more to herself before finally deciding to swing the door open. 

_Eventually the train has to recognize my efforts… I’ve made it this far haven’t I?_

She nodded to herself, pressing her lips together and setting her jaw. 

_My number isn’t stuck, I know it can change._

Even though she was on her own now, Luz was determined to face whatever the train threw at her next. She rolled her shoulders back, steeling herself for what lay ahead.

_I can do this._

She took a step inside the car and the door shut swiftly behind her. Luz looked up and took in her surroundings. She froze with a sharp intake of breath.

“Is that?” She rubbed her chin. “No, it can’t be… can it?” 

She tilted her head, biting her lip in concentration before she finally recognized the large structure looming in the distance. It was illuminated by bright, fluorescent stadium lights and stood out like a sore thumb against the backdrop of the starry night sky. She smiled.

“No way! This is so cool!”

Reenergized, Luz set off on her journey across the car with a light bounce in her step.

\---- ---- ----

“Welcome to the Colosseum Car,” Lilith smiled, resting her staff on the ground.

They were a few steps away from the entrance of the car, standing on a sheer cliff overlooking a massive old Roman-style city. Small, short houses made of fired clay bricks filled the valley below them. A dirt road that led into the village stretched far into the distance, where a monumental coliseum stood tall, casting dark shadows against the horizon. The sun shined brightly in the sky, and although it wasn’t very hot outside the humid air was sticking to her skin. Amity’s mouth hung wide open as she took in the sight before her. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. 

“ _Woah_ ,” she murmured, voice low.

Growing up reading Greek and Roman myths to supplement her fantasy novels, she couldn’t help but feel like she was back in ancient times. Where the Roman Empire was at its peak, thriving from multiple successful conquests. Where thousands of people cheered on as gladiators fought for blood and glory in the Colosseum, at the behest of the Emperor. 

And where demigods accepted quests for personal gain, at times against their will, and when needed, to save the lives of those they cherished. The stage was set for a wild and no doubt dangerous adventure. But if Amity was being honest with herself, the various train cars she and Lilith had passed through over the past 12 days felt like enough adventure for a lifetime.

“I was equally awestruck when I first encountered this car many years ago,” Lilith walked slowly to the edge of the cliff, with Amity following and stopping right beside her. 

“The architecture surrounding the Colosseum is especially breathtaking.”

Amity simply nodded her head, not knowing what else to say.

“Come now,” Lilith dropped her staff, letting it hang suspended in mid-air. “It will take days to reach the city center by foot.” 

Lilith climbed on her staff, and beckoned Amity forward with a wave of her hand. Taking one last glance at the small village below them, she climbed onto the staff behind Lilith. Not knowing where to place her hands, she settled for gripping the soft fabric of Lilith’s trench coat. Then, without prior warning, Lilith took off into the blue mid-morning sky. Lilith chuckled as Amity yelped and huddled closer to her, turning her head back to face the teen.

“Do not fret, I can assure you that you have nothing to worry about,” Lilith faced forward again. “I haven’t dropped a passenger in years.”

“Oh…but you were able to catch them, right?” Amity asked tentatively.

Lilith didn’t respond. Sighing, she closed her eyes and pressed her face against Lilith’s back, trying not to think about how high up they were. Amity was genuinely afraid of a few things, and just her luck, her fear of heights was one of them. 

The wind whistled through her ears and she shivered as they gained altitude, the thin air growing colder by the second. Her warm breath came out in short bursts as fog, before swiftly evaporating. Goosebumps pricked her skin, and she shifted her arms in an attempt to generate some heat. Much to her dismay, growing up in sunny Los Angeles meant that she had little to no endurance for cold temperatures. She let out an annoyed huff.

_I should’ve put on my jacket before we took off._

After almost an hour of flying, Lilith broke the silence.

“I understand you may be uncomfortable,” She nudged Amity. “But I encourage you to take in the incredible view while you can, it’s not often I let someone ride my staff.”

Swallowing down her nerves, Amity peered over Lilith’s shoulder. The landscape hurtled below them, changing from small clay-brick homes to larger ones made of sturdier stuff. The small villages on the outskirts of the car had grown into more densely populated neighborhoods. As they approached the city center, the streets became flooded with people. 

“Thousands of passengers pass through here every year, and the denizen population has soared recently, though I’m not quite sure why.”

Amity nodded her head, even though Lilith couldn’t see her. 

After 15 more minutes of flying, they had reached the city center. Lilith touched down on the side of the paved main road, in front of the Roman Forum. Wolf and bear denizens in pressed suits passed through the doors, entering and exiting the government buildings with an air of purpose. On the street, deer and goat denizens worked behind booths, calling out the latest prices and selling their wares to those who stopped by. Lilith scanned their surroundings and found a signpost with major locations marked in alphabetical order. She turned to Amity.

“We need to get to the Colosseum. The Emperor holds the key to the exit door, and without it we’re stuck here.”

Amity nodded, and followed Lilith as she set off down a street called Via del Corso. As she walked, her nerves began to rise as she realized what might await them once they arrived. 

“Um, what do we need to do to get the key? We won’t have to fight or do anything dangerous, right?”

Lilith chuckled, shaking her head.

“You’re not the first passenger to ask me that question,” She turned to face Amity. “There is no need to worry, Emperor Hadrian is a kind and just ruler. While the Colosseum could be used rather nefariously in Ancient Roman times, the version that exists in this car is much more tame. Typically he has passengers participate in the retelling of Roman myths and engage in playing competitive board games and ball games. Swimming and hunting competitions, foot races, and horseback riding are more rare, but can happen on occasion.”

“That’s good to hear,” Amity smiled. “Do we have to win to get access to the key?”

“Surprisingly, no. The Emperor is satisfied with using the Colosseum for pure entertainment value. It makes the lives of passengers much easier, and many denizens come to watch. For the competitive activities, they organize betting pools which the Emperor taxes.” 

Amity felt relieved that the car wouldn’t be so bad after all. Lilith hummed pensively.

“I wonder if they still have chariot races in the Circus Maximus. Only denizens compete in these races. They can be extremely thrilling to watch, as weapons are allowed.”

Amity felt uneasy as she saw Lilith’s eyes gleam and a grin spread across her face.

_Note to self: don’t get on her bad side._

After about half an hour of walking, they made it to the Colosseum. It took up about six acres of land and rose four stories tall. The elliptical structure was made of weathered stone and concrete bleached by the sun. Arches surrounded the outside of the structure, and by the main entrance a line of denizens stretched halfway down the street. Next to that line was a much shorter one for passengers. Amity tilted her head quizzically.

“Y’know, it’s not as big as I thought it would be,” Her brows furrowed. “How could we see it from so far away?”

“I’m not sure. The Colosseum is the main feature of this car, perhaps it was designed to be highly visible from the entrance?” Lilith shrugged. “Regardless, it does us no good to waste time thinking over such trifling things. We’re here now, so we should head inside.”

They walked over to where denizens and passengers were lining up, noticing the different lines, Lilith turned to Amity.

“Go, I’ll see you inside,” She paused. “Just wait for me before you choose to participate in any events.”

Amity nodded. She waved as Lilith walked down the street to the back of the denizen line. Taking in a breath to mitigate her newfound anxiety of being on her own now, she walked to the back of the passenger line and stood behind an older man with round glasses. Not keen on awkward small talk, she avoided making eye contact and directed her gaze towards the Arch of Constantine, which was several feet away. 

Unfortunately, he couldn’t read between the lines.

“Hey there little lady,” He smiled. “Are you alone?”

“No,” Amity pressed her lips together, and shifted on her feet. “My friend is in the other line.”

“I see, that’s great to hear,” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, while we’re waiting, why don’t I tell you about the time that I…”

Amity groaned internally.

_Seriously? No one asked._

Keeping her face as neutral as possible, she did her best to tune out the man’s unnecessarily detailed story as she continued to observe her surroundings out of the corner of her eye. 

_Someone save me from this torture._

Much to her dismay, her wishes were not answered. After an agonizing ten minutes of waiting in line, she was finally allowed to enter the Colosseum. 

The inside looked like the lobby of a fancy hotel, much like the ones the Blight family would stay in during business trips when Amity’s siblings were younger and couldn’t be left alone at Blight Manor with her. Soft couches were scattered around the room. On the right were elevators and bathrooms. On the left were a few different booths marked for purchasing tickets to watch the activities, gambling, and scorekeeping. On the far wall facing the entrance, several denizens worked methodically behind the front desk, attending to passengers as needed. 

Upon walking through the door, Amity was given a ticket number and told to go to Passenger Reception by a goat denizen with a broken horn. She walked up to the counter, brushing past denizens hurrying from place to place to complete their tasks in a timely manner. She tried to wave down a denizen, but no one noticed her. Amity tentatively rang a silver bell placed on the edge of the bar counter. Right away a deer denizen materialized in front of her, seemingly out of nowhere. Amity jumped.

“Welcome to the Colosseum!” The denizen greeted cheerfully. “How may I help you?”

“Um,” Amity slid her ticket across the counter. “I was told to present this at the Passenger Reception. I’m looking to participate in one of the upcoming events.”

The denizen nodded, taking her ticket and punching it into the computer in front of them. They asked Amity for her name, date of birth, passenger number, and what event preferences she had. While the first few were easy enough, she fumbled with the last question, looking around to see if Lilith was inside yet. She wasn’t.

“I’m actually waiting for someone before I decide on that, is it okay if I-”

The denizen perked up, eyes widening, and cut her off immediately.

“I highly recommend you choose an event now. If you wait any longer you may be left with one you’re not satisfied with,” They pointed to the growing line of passengers behind Amity.

“Oh,” Amity frowned. “Well, what are my options?”

“Well, we just finished a showing of _The Tarpeian Rock_ , so the Emperor won’t be wanting to see another play for a while. We have some openings for our upcoming obstacle course event, which will take place later this afternoon after the gladiator fights. If you would like a different event, you’ll have to wait for a few more days.”

Amity bit her lip briefly before making a split-second decision.

“I’ll take it.”

The denizen typed a few more things into the computer and printed out a wristband for Amity to wear on her left hand. It listed the information she had provided earlier along with a barcode marked as a confirmation number. They fastened it around her wrist carefully and provided details on when and where she should return in order to participate in her event.

“Before I send you off, there are some new rules that you need to be aware of before you participate in any events.”

Amity quirked an eyebrow in curiosity, and leaned in closer to listen to the denizen.

_Shouldn’t be anything too major, right?_

“The first, and most important change I’d say, is that denizens are no longer allowed to compete in events meant to help passengers progress to the next train car. The Emperor believes that passengers should earn the use of the exit door key on their own merits.”

Amity grimaced.

_Great. Looks like I’m on my own._

“Second, only passengers who win first place in their events are allowed use of the exit door key.”

Amity’s chest tightened.

_There’s no way I could win first place on my first try without any help!_

“Third, passengers who lose in their events are subject to sanctions at the discretion of the Emperor, and are not allowed to compete in any events for the following two weeks.”

Amity paled, balling her hands into fists. Her fingernails dug into her palms.

_Oh god, I’m so screwed._

The denizen flashed a winning smile at Amity, who just stared blankly at them.

“Any questions?”

Feeling numb, Amity simply shook her head. She turned around and abruptly walked away from the front desk without so much as a goodbye. In a trance, she exited the Colosseum and walked away aimlessly, with no clear destination in mind. A hand shot out to grab her arm and she shrieked, nearly falling to the ground in surprise.

“Amity, it’s just me.”

She looked up to see Lilith smiling reassuringly at her. Amity took a few breaths to compose herself before speaking, voice cracking slightly. 

“Hey Lilith,” She swallowed nervously. “We- uh, I, have a problem.”

\---- ---- ----

Luz was exhausted.

She had walked several miles for three days straight before finally making it to the city. Her clothes were tattered and dirty, coated in equal parts dirt from sleeping outdoors and dried sweat from making a long journey across the train car. 

To top it all off, she was still alone. And Luz didn’t do too well with being on her own. Without Gus talking her ear off with one theory or another about the train, or Willow infodumping about the benefits of horticulture, she was left with only her own thoughts. At first, terrifying moments from her near-death experience plagued her mind. She slept restlessly, waking up periodically throughout the night as she dreamed of the ghom killing Fred- only this time it managed to kill her too. 

During the day, her thoughts wandered to Willow and Gus, wondering if they were doing okay. Sometimes they drifted to Eda and King, and Luz pictured herself successfully stealing Owlbert so she could practice flying. 

Luz thought of her mamá the most. At first she felt guilty since she hadn’t really been thinking about her during her first week on the train. She had been far too wrapped up in the unfamiliar environment, harrowing adventures, and making new friends for the first time in years. Eventually, when Luz tried using her phone to text her mamá that she had made it to summer camp alive and well, none of her messages went through. While she could record videos and take pictures, the signal was nonexistent. 

The first thing she had done was find someone to treat her broken nose. A deer denizen working out of a small clinic managed to set it back into place and provide instructions on how to treat it going forward. Along the way, some denizen villagers were nice enough to offer her some leftover food, but others had been incredibly hostile. She received her fair share of angry glares, and one even chased her out of their village after she was caught playing with one of their kids. Luz was mind boggled as to why some denizens seemed to hate passengers so much. She thought back to Fred’s malicious words before he pushed her off the train and shuddered.

_If the Apex is behind all of these bad vibes… I never want to run into them._  
  


Upon arriving in the city, Luz was awestruck. She spent some time sightseeing, stopping by the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill before finally making her way to the Colosseum. As she neared her destination, she passed by the Arch of Constantine, and read the plaque that described the historical landmark. Apparently it was created to commemorate Constantine’s victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in C.E. 312. Luz wasn’t usually one for much history, but learning on the train intrigued in a way learning at school didn’t. 

It was late afternoon when she entered the Colosseum. Thankfully, there was no one waiting in the passenger line. As much as she loved the idea of passing out on a sofa and sleeping for the next several days, Luz wanted to see if she could run into any passengers and befriend them. She felt uncomfortable being on her own for so long. Not only was she constantly reminded of her family and new friends, but she also recalled how lonely it was to be among so many people but have no one to turn to. Just like her time spent in school. 

The past year was especially hard. She and her mamá thought high school would be a fresh start from the utter horror that was middle school. Much to their surprise and disappointment, it was worse. Luz did her best to put herself out there, be her good-natured self, and connect with other people. Yet, just as every time before, people found her personality to be overwhelming. She managed to get herself into trouble several times in failed efforts to win over her teachers and classmates. She spoke more to Principal Hal and Ms. Sisso, the school librarian, than any of her peers. Instead of socializing with friends, Luz was stuck by herself at every break during school, thumbing through the latest fantasy novel and working on _The Good Witch Azura_ fanfiction to distract herself from her sad reality. 

Overall, 9th grade was an extremely disheartening experience for Luz. Her deep-set insecurities about her sense of self-worth grew, and she kept most of her internal struggles to herself to dissuade her mamá from worrying too much about her. Even so, by the end of the spring semester her mamá felt like it was time for a big change. Not knowing how to help Luz herself, she sent her off to Reality Check Camp for the summer, where hopefully she could learn to curb her more eccentric tendencies and make friends with people her own age.

Little did Camila know that her plan backfired in the weirdest and most unexpected way possible. And if it was up to Luz, she would never find out.

She rang the bell at the Passenger Reception desk, a ticket handed to her by the doorman in hand. A goat denizen ambled over to assist her.

“Hi! I’m here about the exit door key,” Luz rubbed the back of her neck. “A deer denizen I met when I entered this car told me to come here if I wanted to get to the next car.”

The goat denizen nodded, and proceeded to explain the rules of the Colosseum along with the available events left for the day, as well upcoming events in the next couple of days. Luz wasn’t deterred by the high stakes or lack of help. She’d give it her best shot, and worse case scenario, she’d just have to try again later. 

“I think you’re our last passenger for the day,” the goat rubbed their chin. “We have one spot left for the obstacle course event that’s set to start in half an hour. Though, you look pretty out of it so I recommend trying for an event that’s later in the week-”

“I’ll take it!” Luz cut him off, waving her hand in the air with a flourish.

The denizen gave her a weird look, but humored her request. They printed out a wristband for her and helped Luz put it on. They explained where the waiting area was and sent her away with a gruff “Good luck.” Luz gripped her backpack straps tightly, buzzing with nervous energy as she walked through the interior of the Colosseum. 

After a few minutes, she turned a corner and found herself in a spacious room with a few chairs and sofas. On the far wall, facing her was the entrance to the outdoor arena where the event would take place. The doors were shut, guarded by a large black bear denizen in full Roman armor. To the left, there was a large dining table filled to the brim with food and refreshments. The wall on her right was covered with a wide variety of weapons and armor all taken straight out of a gladiator movie.

Despite the fact that there were about a dozen passengers, the room was completely silent save for the chewing of food and shifting of armor and weapons. Everyone was seated away from each other, keeping their distance. Luz felt butterflies swirl in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t want to have to fight other people to get the key. 

Yet, every single passenger was suited up padded leather armor and holding a weapon of some kind at the ready. Wiping her hands on her jean shorts, Luz made her way over to the right side of the room. After surveying her options, she slipped on a black leather vest and a pair of gloves for additional protection. It took her longer to decide on how to arm herself. According to the goat she had spoken with earlier, there was no killing or maiming allowed, so Luz guessed that the weapons would likely be used more as a deterrent than anything else.

Twisting her wristwatch, she rocked back and forth on her feet, deliberating on which weapon to choose. She didn’t have a lot of muscle, but she was quick on her feet thanks to years of practice running from bullies and, more recently, running for her life on the train. Lugging around something heavy, that she had no experience wielding, would be more of a burden than helpful. Luz finally decided on a slim silver dagger that weighed lightly in her hands. She tucked it carefully into the belt she had grabbed along with her vest. It wouldn’t do her much good to accidentally stab herself before the event even began. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to use it at all.

A speaker blared to life, and a high-pitched voice announced that the obstacle course event would begin in five minutes. Luz turned back to face the rest of the room. She observed the passengers before her, wondering if she could start up a conversation with any of them. Most were older, perhaps in their forties or fifties. The remainder were in their late teens or early twenties.

One passenger in particular caught her eye. A girl was leaning against the wall close to the arena entrance, eyeing the door with a neutral look. She was wearing black ripped pants with a red padded vest over her white t-shirt. She seemed lost in thought as she rubbed a thumb absentmindedly over the hilt of her sheathed sword. The girl looked to be around Luz’s age. Her eyes were a striking golden brown, unlike anything Luz had seen before. Her hair was dyed a mint green, with light brown roots beginning to show. It was pulled back into a half ponytail, and Luz saw the hint of an undercut when the girl knelt to quickly re-tie her sneakers. Luz couldn’t help but notice that she was rather pretty. 

Luz frowned as she noticed a sad, pained expression cross the girl’s face. It looked like something was deeply troubling her, other than the event that was scheduled to start soon. Swallowing down her nerves, Luz decided to walk over to the passenger and introduce herself. Yet, before she could move, the speaker crackled once more and instructed the competing passengers to exit the waiting area. The bear denizen turned and opened the door, standing off to the side to let passengers pass through. Luz straightened as she watched the girl be the first to exit the room, without so much as a glance behind her.

_Have I really been staring at this complete stranger for the past five minutes?_

Shaking her head to rid herself of the faint blush that had risen to her face, Luz followed the other passengers out the door, dropping her backpack on a chair on her way out. What she found outside was overwhelming, to say the least.

There must have been over 50,000 denizens in the stands. Every single seat was filled. The crowd roared to life as the passengers made their way to the starting line. Luz felt ready to throw up. She was glad she had refrained from snacking in the waiting room.

Luz took in the obstacle course before her. While the diameter of the Colosseum was only 118 meters, the outlined course zig zagged several times, making it much longer. First she would have to scale a rock wall that was about 50 feet high. From the top of the wall, Luz would have to swing on a rope across a pool of water and onto a raised platform that she would have to climb down from using a shaky rope ladder. Then she would have to crawl under barbed wire across several feet of mud. Her clothes were a lost cause at this point, so this didn’t bother Luz. After that, she would have to make it across a pit of sharp wooden stakes swinging from metal monkey bars. After landing safely on the other side, Luz would have to run the remainder of the course, and be the first to reach the fasces. The fasces were placed on a raised wooden platform, and the only way to get to it was to climb a long ramp tilted at a 60 degree angle. She gulped, looking at the passengers lined up next to her to see how they felt about the event. All seem more or less nervous, so at least she wasn’t the only one.

A short red demon appeared on a large TV screen, silencing the denizens seated in the Colosseum. They introduced themself as Kikimora, an assistant to the Emperor, who was currently out of town working on important business negotiations that would help the car prosper. There was a loud cheer that echoed throughout the stadium before Kikimora managed to quiet down the excited denizens and explained the logistics of the obstacle course. 

“Denizens, take your seats. Passengers, ready yourselves. The event will commence in 60 seconds.”

Luz’s stomach churned, and she bounced on her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the digital timer displayed on the large screen, counting down to zero.

_30 seconds._

She ran a hand through her short hair, and wiped the sweat off her forehead. 

_20 seconds._

Luz planted one foot back and the other in front of her, readying herself to run.

_10 seconds._

The sound of a gong chiming pierced through the air, signaling the start of the event. 

_Well, here goes nothing!_

\---- ---- ----

The obstacle course was an absolute nightmare. 

The rock wall had been easy enough. Amity had a membership to a climbing gym back home. And most of the passengers she was competing with were on the older side, and quite slow, meaning that she only had to worry about the five that were in their teens or early twenties. After swinging across the pool and landing on the platform, Amity pushed past a guy that was in her way, making him fall to the ground with a grunt. She was the first to climb down the platform and reach the barbed wire covered field of mud. She grit her teeth, silently apologizing to her poor clothes, and crawled through the mud, careful to avoid snagging her clothes on the wire. 

The guy she had shoved earlier caught up to her, and they were neck and neck as they climbed across the monkey bars. When they landed, he quickly moved in front of her and pulled his sword from its sheath, pointing it at her. His face was grim.

“Look kid, I don’t want to hurt you. Give up now so I won’t have to.”

Amity scowled. She pulled her sword from its sheath, wielding it close to her body.

“No way,” She pointed it at him. “If you want to win, you’ll have to get through me first.”

He pressed his lips together and charged at her, swinging his sword high in the air as he let out a yell. Amity braced herself, and when he swung at her she dodged, moving to the right, and held her sword defensively in front of her. He turned to face her, now frustrated, and swiped his sword through the air in a stabbing motion. Amity jumped back, dodging his attack again. She silently thanked her parents for forcing fencing lessons on her when she was a kid.

The guy crouched down to the ground, sweeping his hand through the dirt. Eyes narrowed, Amity prepared to knock the sword out his hands and make a run for it, but he threw dirt into her eyes, making her hiss in pain. She rubbed at her eyes with her right hand, still holding her sword in her left. The guy grinned and gave his sword a twirl in the air, nearly cutting himself in the process.

“Ready to give up?”

Amity didn’t respond, electing to catch him by surprise. She stepped into his range, knocking the sword out his hand and delivering a swift kick in the gut. He gasped, falling to his knees. For good measure, Amity knocked the hilt of her sword against his head, rendering him unconscious. She smiled.

“Nope.”

With that, she took off towards the fasces. The crowd grew unbelievably loud as she approached it. Behind her, she could hear two sets of footsteps on her tail. One set was much closer, probably only a few steps behind her. They were likely other passengers who had managed to catch up during her sword fight against the guy from earlier. She pushed herself harder, feet thumping hard against the ground. Suddenly, someone called out behind her.

“Watch out!”

Amity turned her head in confusion, eyes widening as she noticed a dagger sailing through the air towards her head. She dove to the ground, missing its edge by mere inches. A teenage guy raced past her, and behind her a girl around her age with short hair followed closely behind him. Amity groaned, quickly rising to her feet and following after them.

_There goes my hard earned lead._

Her brows furrowed.

_And who the hell threw that dagger? It almost killed me!_

Refocusing on the foot race, she sped up, straining to catch up to the two passengers in front of her. The guy in the lead turned his head, noting the short haired girl on his tail. He grinned and threw the shield strapped on his back at her, making her jump out of the way with a yelp. But, his plan backfired when he tripped over his feet, not noticing the uneven ground in front of him. He tumbled, eating a face full of dirt. Amity smirked.

_Serves him right._

She passed him and chased after the girl who was now in the lead. The ramp leading to the fasces was about 20 feet away. The short haired girl was the first to reach it, and struggled to scale the ramp. Amity set her jaw and pumped her arms faster in an effort to catch up. She would have to use her own momentum to make it up the steep incline. 

Just as she reached the ramp, the girl slipped from her position halfway up with a shriek. She fell and landed on top of Amity, sending them both to the ground. Amity hit her head hard against the ground. Her ears began ringing and her vision blurred. The girl murmured several apologies before hurriedly climbing off of her and backing up about 15 feet away from the ramp. Using a running start, the girl raced up the ramp, jumping the last bit of the way and landing on top of the platform with a soft thump. Amity sat up slowly, holding a hand to her forehead, and watched the girl rise to her feet and grab the fasces, holding it up in the air with a goofy grin on her face. The crowd erupted into loud cheers and the stadium gong sounded off. Amity grit her teeth, head pounding.

The event was over, and she had lost. 

\---- ---- ----

After the event came to an end, Amity was escorted off the field by a small team of medics, who checked her for a concussion and any other injuries. They advised her to take it easy for the next few days and she tiredly nodded. She was told to go to the throne room, along with the other passengers who had competed in the event. Other than some minor injuries, everyone looked more or less in good shape. Kikimora was standing in front of the throne, arms crossed behind her back. Amity joined the other passengers and stood in front of the red demon, a neutral look on her face. Kikimora cleared her throat and clapped her hands together.

“Congratulations to Ms. Noceda on winning today’s event,” Kikimora scanned the other passengers with a distasteful look. “And to the rest of you, next time, do try harder. I think you all could learn from the determination and grace Ms. Noceda exhibited today.”

Amity’s eyes widened in disbelief, and then narrowed in anger.

_Seriously? She only won because she slipped and fell on me!_

The girl laughed nervously from the other side of the room, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

“Oh it wasn’t much.”

Kikimora turned to her and shook her head.

“Nonsense Ms. Noceda, you earned it.”

Amity frowned as Kikimora pulled a golden key from the pocket of her coat. The demon held it out to the short haired girl, whose face lit up excitedly. The girl tripped over her feet and made her way over to Kikimora, who handed off the key with instructions as to where the door was located and told her to give it back to a guard once the exit door was unlocked. She nodded enthusiastically, tucking the key away in her backpack. She turned to leave the room, but paused for a moment and looked back to the demon.

“Can I take someone through the exit door with me?”

The demon hummed, placing a claw to her chin and tilted her head in thought.

“Yes, but you can only take one passenger or denizen with you.”

The girl smiled, a broad grin stretching across her face. She pointed to Amity.

“Can I take her?”

Amity choked on nothing, sputtering as Kikimora shifted her gaze towards her. The demon leveled an even look at her, and then shrugged.

“I don’t see why not.”

The girl squealed and raced over to Amity, grabbing her wrist and pulling her out of the room. Amity was in a daze and let the girl guide her outside of the Colosseum. Once they made it outdoors, Amity snapped out of her stupor and pulled her hand away from the girl.

“Wait! I don’t even know you!”

The girl turned around and faced Amity, still smiling.

“I’m Luz! Hi!”

Luz extended a hand to her, waiting expectantly for Amity to take it. Instead, Amity frowned.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Luz started to speak, but was interrupted by Lilith, who called out to Amity from a few feet away from where the teens were standing. The older woman was holding Amity’s backpack. 

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Amity relaxed, the tension in her shoulders subsided.

“Lilith, thank god you’re here. This girl was trying to take me with her through the exit door.”

“Hey!” Luz crossed her arms. “I was trying to be nice!”

Lilith cocked her head, reaching Amity and handing over her backpack. She hummed.

“Well, I think that sounds like an excellent idea.”

“What?!” Amity exclaimed.

“Yes!” Luz cheered, spinning around in a circle.

“Well think of it this way. If you don’t leave with her, you’ll be subject to arbitrary sanctions and won’t be allowed to leave for at least two more weeks.”

“I’d rather stay here with you than go off with some complete stranger!”

Lilith pressed her lips together. She looked to Luz.

“Do you mind if I speak to her in private?”

Luz shook her head, “Go ahead! I’ll be waiting on that bench over there!” She gestured to a concrete bench about 20 feet away.

Luz left and Lilith turned to face Amity.

“Do you remember our conversation a few days ago, when I told you why I’m traveling through the train?”

Amity’s brows furrowed.

“Of course,” She shifted on her feet. “What does it have to do with this?”

Lilith sighed, leaning onto her staff.

“I found a lead on Belos’ whereabouts. It turns out he recently took over for Hadrian and is the new emperor of the Colosseum car, which explains the updated event rules. He’s out of town for the next several days, and I’m not sure when he will return. Given how he has heavy security here, I’m going to track him down and find him before he comes back. It will be extremely perilous, which is why this girl’s offer to you is the perfect opportunity.”

Amity was dumbfounded. Out of all the things she hadn’t expected to happen today, having to part ways with Lilith was the most shocking. Seeing Amity’s distraught face, Lilith rested a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

“You will be fine without me,” Lilith looked over to Luz, who had been carefully watching their conversation from afar. Caught in the act, Luz turned away quickly, obviously embarrassed. Lilith smiled, “I think she has a good heart.”

Amity retreated into herself, crossing her arms and looking away from Lilith. She took in a breath and spoke softly.

“I don’t want to leave you.”

Lilith smiled sadly.

“Nor I, you,” Lilith waved Luz over. Luz sprung to her feet and made her way back to them. “I think it will do you some good to be with someone your own age. And who knows? You may have more in common with her than you think.”

“I doubt it,” Amity scoffed.

Luz walked up to them, looking a bit nervous. 

“So?”

Lilith raised an eyebrow at Amity, encouraging her to speak up. Amity rolled her eyes.

“I’ll go with you,” She said with a forced smile.

“Sweet!” Luz clapped her hands together excitedly. “Let’s get a move on then!”

Lilith raised a hand, stopping Luz in her tracks.

“Not so fast,” She pointed to Luz’s watch. “Let me see that.”

Luz tilted her head in confusion, but unfastened her watch and handed it over to Lilith. Lilith drew a spell circle in the air and the watch shimmered with a bright blue hue for a moment before it faded. Luz’s mouth dropped.

“You’re a witch!” Her hands pressed against her cheeks and she barely suppressed a squeal.

Lilith chuckled, “Yes, I am,” She handed Luz her watch back. “I enchanted your watch with an alarm. Click the top left button five times in rapid succession and I will be notified of your location. It will only work once, so use it wisely.”

“Thank you thank you thank you!” Luz exclaimed.

Amity fidgeted, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. While she was relieved they had a way to contact Lilith, she hoped that they wouldn't find themselves in a situation that would necessitate her help. Lilith examined Luz and Amity, eyes narrowing when she realized just how dirty both girls were.

“Before I go, let me help you both clean up.”

The witch drew another spell circle, and the dirt and grime that had collected on their clothes and bodies vanished. Lilith nodded to herself, satisfied.

“Now that’s settled, I will be on my way.” 

Amity snapped to attention, and her voice cracked as she spoke.

“Wait!” She cleared her throat and avoided eye contact. “Can I, um, hug you goodbye?”

Lilith softened, a small smile appearing on her face, “Of course you-”

Luz let out a high pitched squeal, completely ruining the mood.

“That is _so_ adorable!”

Amity had only known Luz for 45 minutes and she already wanted to kill her.

After leveling a glare at Luz, who whispered “sorry” and shrunk under her gaze, Amity stepped close to Lilith and wrapped her arms around her. The witch returned her hug and they held each other for a few moments before separating. Amity’s mouth was dry, she struggled to speak.

“Thank you,” Her eyes began to water, but she steeled herself. “For everything.”

“I should be the one thanking you,” Lilith replied. “I was alone for a long time before I found you.”

Luz squeaked again, but this time Amity and Lilith ignored her.

“May we meet again,” Amity extended a hand to Lilith, who accepted it with a warm smile.

“I expect that we will. And good luck,” Lilith dropped her staff, letting it hover above the ground. “You both will certainly need it.”

Amity nodded, not knowing what else to say to this person who had done so much for her in the short time they had spent together.

“Remember Amity, you are not alone.”

With that, Lilith climbed onto her staff and took off, waving goodbye to Luz and Amity. She grew smaller and smaller into the distance until she finally disappeared. Amity sighed.

“So, Amity huh? That’s a pretty name!”

Amity flushed. She turned away from Luz.

“Whatever!”

There was an awkward moment of silence. Luz shifted on her feet, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

“Um, I meant to say this earlier, but I’m sorry for falling on you and almost nailing you with that dagger.”

Amity turned towards her, bewildered. 

“That was you?!”

Luz held up her hands defensively,

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for it to almost hit you! I was aiming for the guy that was tailing you. I saw him raising his sword and I thought he was going to hurt you.”

Amity’s eyes narrowed.

“You almost killed me.”

“And I promise I won’t do it again!” Luz shot a pair of finger guns at Amity, along with a wink.

Amity shook her head and rolled her eyes at her new companion. 

“You better not.”

With that, Amity turned and began making her way down the street. Luz scrambled to catch up, and fell into step beside her. 

For better or for worse, they were together now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/godless_glasses), [tumblr](https://lexa-alycia.tumblr.com), [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/godless.glasses/)


	8. Pulling on Heartstrings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willow and Gus face the music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ:
> 
> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for 3200+ hits and 200+ kudos! I am super happy to see that y'all are enjoying the story! Also I saw one of my fave fic authors bookmark this fic and that made my day! :))
> 
> As a treat, please check out the end of chapter 7- I commissioned art from [@ashesofking](https://www.instagram.com/ashesofking/) again, and they drew the goodbye scene between Amity and Lilith. Who knows, if we hit another milestone I'll commission more art for the fic! But- my wallet and I are not at all opposed to y'all sending me anything you create so I can share it! 
> 
> I have added chapter titles! Check them out, I am very proud of them. Turns out I'm okay at naming things.
> 
> No Amity or Luz this chapter- but they'll be in the next one as they are our primary protagonists. I wanted to do Willow and Gus justice as I never see a lot of character development and/or "screentime" for them in other TOH fics I've read.
> 
> Here's a [timeline](https://lexa-alycia.tumblr.com/post/633999752330117120/zero-timeline) of Zero. I've been trying to communicate it clearly throughout the fic- but this should hopefully clear up any questions. And here's a Spotify [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ZTTIzgmQkhMkE7C93qLK8?si=6qExdTJhTwCmGnGqY0f3hg) for this chapter. Also my beta reader, the amazing Theatrical72, covered Yesterday for this fanfic. Listen to it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_17ERHF5i6c&feature=youtu.be)

After watching Luz get tackled off the train, Gus had been frozen in shock. He felt paralyzed by the horrible fate that had befallen his friend. Tears streamed down his face and he was stuck mumbling incoherently, a single hand outstretched to where he’d witnessed Luz fall from the platform. 

Thankfully, Willow had snapped to action and yanked him by the arm, screaming at him to move. She tugged him across the platform and over the bridge. The twizzler denizens had retreated back to the Food Car without much of a fuss, the sacrifice completed. Willow threw open the door to the next train car and slammed it behind them. She let go of Gus’ hand and leaned back against the closed door, her head resting against the cool metal. 

Gus took a few steps forward and stopped. He had a rigid posture, with bunched up shoulders and hands balled into fists. Adjusting her lopsided glasses, Willow stood upright. She was shaken by what had happened to Luz, but knew Gus was taking the loss especially hard. Willow knew how hard it had been for Gus to make friends back home, and Luz had been the second genuine friend he had made since skipping two grades last year. 

And now Luz was gone, most likely dead. Willow reached out to rest a hand on her friend’s shoulder but hesitated. She spoke softly as to not startle him.

“Gus.”

No response. She tried again, her voice strained.

“Gus.”

He continued staring blankly at the ground, his hands shaking. Willow’s nerves were frayed, she was still processing what had just happened and was quickly losing her patience.

“Augustus!”

Gus jumped and turned to face Willow, backpedaling until he recognized her. Willow frowned, already regretting having raised her voice. Tear tracks stained his face, his eyes were red and puffy. Gus moved to wipe his runny nose and sniffled a little. 

“We lost her,” He said, voice monotone. 

He felt numb. And dejected. Defeated. Helpless. Willow felt the same way.

“I know,” Willow swallowed, and stepped closer to her friend. 

“We lost her,” Gus repeated again, falling to his knees. He stared blankly at the ground. 

Willow crouched down beside him and rubbed his back soothingly. He smiled weakly and tilted his head at her.

“You’re crying,” He said, voice soft. Gus didn’t seem surprised, and he moved to wipe a few stray tears from her cheeks. 

Willow blinked in confusion, and moved her hands to her face. Her fingers came away wet at the tips. She looked down at her hands and back to Gus. She pressed her lips together and managed a crooked smile.

“I guess she really did grow on me.”

Gus chuckled, and Willow couldn’t help but join in. Their soft chuckles soon devolved into full blown laughter. Their sides ached and it felt like their heads were buzzing with energy. It felt good. Like a release of the tension that had been steadily building ever since Marshmallow Mountain. That day they didn’t move from the entrance of the new train car. Instead, they laughed, cried, and slowly but surely began to heal from the loss of their friend. Together.

\---- ---- ----

Three days passed. Willow and Gus took on a slow pace through the new car they had just entered, the Crystal Car. Not much was said between the two. It felt necessary, and right somehow to hold space out of respect for Luz. Their energetic, happy, goofy friend that had taken a piece of their hearts with her that dreadful day in the Wasteland. 

Willow observed her surroundings. The ground was rock solid, colored a deep purple hue. Around them was a dense forest of multicolored crystals stretching high into the sky. Purples, pinks, oranges and yellows filled Willow’s vision. The sky was a soft peach, populated by fluffy looking white clouds. Above her head, a trio of crystal birds passed over. They were beautiful. 

As Willow watched the sky, she saw something small and white fall from where the birds had flown and it landed on her shoulder. She cringed and scrunched her nose in disgust.

“Ugh! Bird poop!”

But upon closer inspection, it was not poop, but rather a bead of pearls. Her eyebrows raised.

“Huh,” She picked up the pearls and examined them briefly, before tossing them to the side.

Willow looked to her companion. Gus was absorbed in scribbling down notes in his dark blue leather bound journal, glancing up now and then to avoid tripping and falling flat on his face. She shook her head and let out a fond huff. Ever since she had first met Gus, he almost always had it in his hands. She had asked him what he used it for once, and he explained that he wrote down his theories on how the train works, along with summaries of each train car they passed and the events that preceded any decreases in his number.

After some time walking, they finally made it through the crystal forest to the other end of the train car. A solid rock wall composed of large crystals faced them, and there was no sign of an exit door. Willow turned to Gus, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.

“Hey, we have to look for the exit door,” Gus nodded but continued mumbling under his breath and jotting down notes in a messy scrawl. Willow sighed, she had expected as much. “And that means no distractions.” Gus glanced up at that, finally tearing his eyes away from his journal.

“Alright! I’ll put it away, for now,” Gus cradled the notebook to his chest lovingly. “Until later, my love.” He cooed. Willow snorted.

“Sorry to separate you two, but if I didn’t, we wouldn’t get anything done.”

Gus laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He tucked his journal away into his bag and stretched his arms, holding back a yawn. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” He rubbed his hands together. “So! Where could it be? The exit door has to be around here somewhere. We took the only path through the car.”

Willow nodded and rubbed her chin contemplatively.

“I’m not sure. Maybe one of these crystals has something to do with it? Like a secret passageway will open by pressing the right one?”

Gus hummed, looking around.

“Maybe,” His eyes lit up as a thought struck him. “But since I’m a bit on the short side, I find that most of my questions can be answered by simply looking up,” He pointed behind Willow, where several feet above them a red exit door was embedded into the wall. Willow followed his line of sight and took a step back, surprised to see the exit door high overhead. 

“Aha!” Gus grinned smugly. “I don’t know if you’ve been keeping track, but that’s the third exit door in the row that I’ve found for us!”

“I haven’t, but thanks I guess,” Willow’s brows furrowed as she examined the door. “How can we possibly get all the way up there?” Gus hummed.

“Maybe we could try building a--”

_ Clink. Clink. Clink. _

Willow and Gus turned their attention back to the path where they had come. A grey crystal denizen with a tophat and mustache approached, and waved in greeting. Gus brightened.

“Oh! Hello there!” Gus waved back. “Do you know how we can reach the door?”

The denizen nodded, but didn’t say anything. 

“Oh amazing!” Gus exclaimed.

There was an awkward silence that followed. Willow and Gus stared at the crystal denizen blankly, waiting for an explanation. Willow shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

“Uh, would you mind telling us how?” She asked.

The denizen clinked his hands together and held them to his chest. It appeared as if he couldn’t speak. Willow frowned. 

“This is going to take a while.”

After several minutes of confused interpretation and misread signals, Gus appeared to have figured it out. Willow had long given up, resigned to sitting against the wall and held back from chuckling at Gus’ several failed attempts at conversation with the denizen. Gus turned to Willow with a grin.

“I got it!” He clapped excitedly. Willow smiled and stood up.

“Care to share with the class?” She teased. He nodded rapidly.

“Okay, see that purple crystal rock over there?” He gestured to a large purple gemstone embedded in the ground several feet away from them. Willow nodded as Gus continued. “We have to put our hands on the rock and sing a song!” Willow blinked.

“You’re kidding, right?” 

Gus shook his head fervently.

“Nope! I’m 97.8% certain I’m correct,” He turned back to the denizen. “I got it, right?” 

The denizen nodded at Gus. Willow pressed her lips together, still unsure.

“Okay, if you say so.”

They walked over and sat next to each other in front of the purple gemstone. It was a dull dark purple. Nothing seemed particularly special about it. But Willow trusted her friend, so she would do what he thought was the best way forward. Gus placed his hands on the rock, but before Willow did, she hesitated.

“Wait, do we have to do it together?”

Gus’ brows furrowed, “I’m not sure,” He turned and called out to the denizen, asking him the same question. The denizen shook his head and pointed at Gus, holding up one finger. And then the denizen turned to Willow, holding up one finger again. Gus looked back at Willow.

“I think we have to do it one at a time, and once we both succeed a pathway to the door will arrive.” 

Willow skeptically raised her eyebrows.

“What, a staircase will just come waltzing over to us?”

Gus shrugged, “Beats me! We can think about that later. For now, we just have to sing our hearts out!” 

“Alright then,” She chuckled. “Let’s hear it,” Willow smirked at him. 

Gus closed his eyes and fell silent for a moment, thinking about which song to choose. And then, he cleared his throat dramatically. He hummed the intro to a familiar song Willow had heard on the radio during long drives with her dads. And then, Gus began to sing.

_ I would say I'm sorry _

_ If I thought that it would change your mind _

_ But I know that this time _

_ I have said too much _

_ Been too unkind _

_ I tried to laugh about it _

_ Cover it all up with lies _

_ I tried to laugh about it _

_ Hiding the tears in my eyes _

_ 'Cause boys don't cry _

_ Boys don't cry _

Gus finished the song and opened his eyes expectantly. Nothing had happened.

“But that song is so good!” He huffed, taking his hands off the rock and crossing them over his chest. “This dumb rock has no taste.”

“Let me try,” Willow offered. Gus nodded and scooted away from the rock. He watched Willow place her hands on the gem and close her eyes. She hummed a little before starting to sing.

_ My God, I'm so lonely _

_ So I open the window _

_ To hear sounds of people _

_ To hear sounds of people _

_ Venus, planet of love _

_ Was destroyed by global warming _

_ Did its people want too much too? _

_ Did its people want too much? _

_ And I don't want your pity _

_ I just want somebody near me _

_ Guess I'm a coward _

_ I just want to feel alright _

_ And I know no one will save me _

_ I just need someone to kiss _

_ Give me one good honest kiss _

_ And I'll be alright  _

Willow opened her eyes once she finished the song and glanced at Gus. His hands were pressed against his cheeks and he looked utterly horrified.

“Willow,” He whispered. “Are you okay? Do you need help?”

Willow burst out laughing, face scrunching up and she held her sides as Gus watched in confusion. Gus’ face soured.

“Okay then,” He grumbled. “Be that way.”

Willow finally managed to collect herself. She brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and turned to her friend.

“Listen, I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine,” She adjusted her glasses. “I just thought a more depressing song might work. I guess it didn’t.” Gus’ eyes widened in understanding.

“Ooh,” He hummed. “Well, looks like we’ll have to keep on trying then!”

\---- ---- ----

Willow had lost count of how many songs they had tried ever since Gus belted out the lyrics to  _ Stand By Me _ . And that had been ages ago. He was now attempting to emulate Marvin Gaye.

_ Oh no darling _

_ No wind, no rain _

_ Or winter's cold can stop me baby, na na baby _

_ 'Cause you are my goal _

_ If you're ever in trouble _

_ I'll be there on the double _

_ Just send for me, oh baby, ha _

_ My love is alive (woo) _

_ Way down in my heart _

_ Although we are miles apart _

_ If you ever need a helping hand _

_ I'll be there on the double _

_ Just as fast as I can _

_ Don't you know that there _

_ Ain't no mountain high enough _

_ Ain't no valley low enough _

_ Ain't no river wide enough _

_ To keep me from getting to you babe _

_ Don'tcha know that there _

_ Ain't no mountain high enough _

_ Ain't no valley low enough _

_ Ain't no river wide enough _

_ Ain't no mountain high enough _

_ Ain't no valley low enough _

Gus opened his eyes and looked around expectantly. Still nothing. He groaned and collapsed to the floor in defeat. Willow patted his arm comfortingly as she spoke.

“Well,” She paused before continuing. “I think you managed to hit all the right notes.” 

“That doesn’t matter if we can’t figure out the right song!” Gus turned to lay on his side and scowled. Willow sighed and looked back to the denizen who had been watching them intently the entire time. She waved him over and the denizen approached them.

“Any chance you could give us another hint?” She asked.

The denizen gestured to his chest and then spread his arms out wide. Willow tilted her head in confusion.

“Yeah, that doesn’t mean anything to me.”

Suddenly, Gus sat up, eyes wide.

“That’s it!” He rose from the ground quickly, bouncing on his feet. “I tried to suggest this earlier, but I thought we’d be able to crack the song.” Willow leaned forward, curious.

“What’s your idea?” She prompted.

“I’m going to build a ladder!” He exclaimed. Willow sat back and frowned at her friend.

“Gus, I’m not sure that will work,” She looked at the denizen, who nodded in agreement with her. “You know exit doors have to be opened a certain way. We have to just keep on trying until we get the right song.”

Gus shook his head. He was determined to find a solution to their dilemma.

“You don’t know until you try!” He raced off into the crystal forest before Willow could stop him. Willow looked to the denizen, who simply shrugged at her. She laid back on the ground, crossing her arms behind her head, and closed her eyes. 

“Well, time for a break then.” 

  
  


\---- ---- ----

  
  


After about an hour of working, Gus had finished his project. He smiled triumphantly as he leaned the crooked ladder he had constructed out of short lengths of broken crystal and rope he had found in the forest against the wall of the train car. Gus quickly scaled the rungs and reached the top. Before he reached for the exit door handle, he turned to the crystal denizen and Willow. The denizen made a disapproving noise at him and crossed their arms.

“Sorry, but in times of need, logic will always prevail!” Gus grinned. “I should know, I won Best Hypothetically Proven Hypothesis at my school’s annual Science Bowl a few months ago.”

The denizen simply shook his head. Willow gave Gus a blank look. Undeterred, Gus turned back to the door and tried to open it. 

It didn’t budge.

“Oh no. Oh no no no,” Gus murmured as he tugged on the golden handles. “It’s locked!” He cried. Gus attempted multiple times to open the door, but nothing worked. He sighed and slid down the ladder, falling onto his butt with a grunt. Willow walked over to him, hands resting on her hips.

“Y’know, I hate to say it--”

“Then don’t,” Gus pouted.

“But I told you so,” Willow finished. 

Gus gave her a reproachful look. She smiled sympathetically at him. The denizen approached them and pointed one hand to his chest and held the other arm out in a similar fashion he had demonstrated to them earlier. Gus shook his head and rose to his feet, growing impatient.

“No!” Gus exclaimed. “That makes no sense! We’ve tried every possible emotional theme to find one that would work.” He pulled out his journal from his bag, which he tossed to the floor. Gus began rattling off their failed attempts from his hastily written notes. “Relationship break-ups, unrequited feelings, celebrities singing to draw attention to important social issues, and even songs about pursuing your dreams!” He dropped the journal and began pacing. “But I’ll never be able to go out and pursue my dreams if we’re still stuck here on this train!” He threw his hands in the air, exasperated. Willow decided to refrain from saying anything until he had cooled off a little.

The denizen pointed to Gus’ chest and extended his arm out, nodding at the end. Then the denizen gestured to themself and performed the same motions, this time shaking their head. Gus’ brows furrowed. 

“My heart, my singing,” Gus placed a hand over his heart. “Not your heart, your singing.”

The denizen stared blankly at him, and Willow watched curiously over the denzen’s shoulder. After a moment, the denizen nodded. Gus gasped.

“I thought I had to sing a song that resonated with the crystal, and make it feel something to unlock the door… but it has to be a song that’s emotional for me?” 

He looked to the number glowing on his palm. The number 49 reflected in his eyes as Gus looked up again. The denizen met his gaze and gestured to their chest, tapping it lightly.

“But I’ve already tried out a bunch of songs that I like! How am I supposed to know which song will work?”

“Well maybe it’s not just a song you like,” Willow offered. “It must have to really mean something to you and strike a personal chord. Try thinking of one now and go with it.” 

“It’s just… picking the first song I think of seems far too arbitrary… hmm,” Gus rubbed his chin. “What song really hits home for me?”

The denizen reached over to Gus and placed one of his hands over his chest and the other on his forehead. Gus’ eyes widened and a big smile spread across his face. He straightened and bounced on his feet.

“I got it! I think I finally got it!”

He rushed over to the purple gemstone and knelt down, resting both hands on top of the rock and closing his eyes. Willow and the denizen followed him and watched closely as Gus began to sing. His voice came out low and melodic. The crystal gem began to glow a soft purple.

_ Yesterday _

_ All my troubles seemed so far away _

_ Now it looks as though they're here to stay _

_ Oh, I believe in yesterday _

_ Suddenly _

_ I'm not half the man I used to be _

_ There's a shadow hangin' over me _

_ Oh, yesterday came suddenly _

_ Why she had to go, I don't know, she wouldn't say _

_ I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday _

_ Yesterday _

_ Love was such an easy game to play _

_ Now I need a place to hide away _

_ Oh, I believe in yesterday _

_ Why she had to go, I don't know, she wouldn't say _

_ I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday _

_ Yesterday _

_ Love was such an easy game to play _

_ Now I need a place to hide away _

_ Oh, I believe in yesterday _

_ Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm _

Gus opened his eyes and looked to Willow and the denizen. The denizen nodded approvingly and gave him a thumbs up. Willow looked completely shocked, she hadn’t expected her friend to pick such a melancholy song. 

“Gus, why that song?” Willow asked.

Gus looked down at the gemstone and removed his hands. The glow faded slightly, but remained. He fiddled with the end of his t-shirt. 

“A few reasons, I guess,” He swallowed. “When my mom passed away a few years back, it was really hard for my dad and I to cope. This song is one of the things that helped both of us get through it.” He smiled and looked up at Willow. “My mom loved The Beatles, and the band was playing that song when she met my dad at his cousin’s wedding. Singing it reminds me of her because I remember what our lives were like before she died. It helps me feel connected to her, even though she’s gone.”

Willow’s throat dried, she was on the verge of tears. She couldn’t imagine what it felt like to lose a parent. She thought of her dads, and how they meant the world to her. Gus continued.

“But it’s not just about her,” He paused. “It’s also connected to why I think I’m on the train. The song reminds me of better, happier times when I didn’t struggle so much at school.”

Willow approached Gus and sat down next to him, making sure to give him some space.

“You don’t have to talk about it if it’s too hard,” She said. Gus shook his head.

“No, I want to,” He looked up at her with a determined expression. “You already know a bit about my school life, how I had trouble making friends this year since I skipped grades.”

Willow nodded encouragingly. Gus sighed and scratched the back of his head.

“Well, I never fully explained the events that preceded me finding the train. It was after school, and I had just walked into the clubroom for the Magic Appreciation Society,” He started to choke up a little. “The club I founded to try and make some friends after a horrible first semester all alone, since everyone in my classes wanted nothing to do with me.”

Willow reached out and took hold of his hand, giving it a light squeeze. Gus squeezed back. 

“It was our third meeting, and everything had been going well. Everyone was pretty nice, and even though I wasn’t super close to anyone, it was nice to at least share a common interest with them,” He grit his teeth. “But things took a turn for the worst when a kid named Matt challenged my position as club president. It came out of nowhere, I walked in and he was sitting at the head of the table. At first, I thought it had been a simple mistake, but it was intentional,” Gus tapped his fingers against his leg as Willow held onto his other hand. “He said I was inadequate and incapable of being president when I had no friends and no experience running a club before. He proposed to the other members that we should vote on a new president. Everyone agreed, so I had to go along with it,” Gus looked down at the ground. “The vote was unanimous, every single member voted for Matt. And then, Matt told me to beat it and that I wasn’t welcome there anymore. So I ran. I left the school in a daze, and before I knew it, the train was in front of me.” He dropped his hand from Willow’s and wrapped his arms around himself, falling silent. Willow decided to speak up.

“I’m so sorry to hear that happened to you Gus,” She sighed. “You didn’t deserve that kind of treatment at all.” Gus muttered something under his breath. Willow leaned forward.

“What was that?”

“But I did, didn’t I?” Gus looked up at her. “I got way too ahead of myself. I was already toeing the line with skipping two grades,” He laughed bitterly. “This was the nail in the coffin.” 

Willow shook her head, and took hold of both of his hands.

“Gus, listen to me,” Her voice held a serious tone. “You are one of the best people I’ve ever met. You are unbelievably kind and incredibly thoughtful. I know you have worked really hard to get where you are now. You deserve better than those terrible people.”

Gus didn’t say anything, but Willow saw his eyes begin to water. She pulled him into a hug and held him for a few moments as he sniffled and buried his head in the crook of her neck. After some time, he pulled back and looked at her wearily.

“Thanks Willow.”

Willow shook her head, “I should be the one thanking you. You’ve helped me so much more than you know.” She turned to face the gemstone. “And now it's time for me to pull my own weight.” Willow rested both hands on the crystal and closed her eyes in concentration. The purple gemstone’s faint glow brightened.

_ Baby really hurt me _

_ Crying in the taxi _

_ He don't wanna know me _

_ Says he made the big mistake of dancing in my storm _

_ Says it was poison _

_ So I guess I'll go home _

_ Into the arms of the girl that I love _

_ The only love I haven't screwed up _

_ She's so hard to please _

_ But she's a forest fire _

_ I do my best to meet her demands _

_ Play at romance, we slow dance _

_ In the living room, but all that a stranger would see _

_ Is one girl swaying alone _

_ Stroking her cheek _

_ They say, "You're a little much for me _

_ You're a liability _

_ You're a little much for me" _

_ So they pull back, make other plans _

_ I understand, I'm a liability _

_ Get you wild, make you leave _

_ I'm a little much for _

_ E-a-na-na-na, everyone _

_ The truth is I am a toy that people enjoy _

_ 'Til all of the tricks don't work anymore _

_ And then they are bored of me _

_ I know that it's exciting _

_ Running through the night, but _

_ Every perfect summer's _

_ Eating me alive until you're gone _

_ Better on my own _

_ They say, "You're a little much for me _

_ You're a liability _

_ You're a little much for me" _

_ So they pull back, make other plans _

_ I understand, I'm a liability _

_ Get you wild, make you leave _

_ I'm a little much for _

_ E-a-na-na-na, everyone _

_ They're gonna watch me _

_ Disappear into the sun _

_ You're all gonna watch me _

_ Disappear into the sun _

Willow opened her eyes and looked at Gus, who was gaping. 

“Willow,” He murmured. She managed a smile.

“Yeah I know,” She sighed. “I haven’t shared a lot with you about my life before the train, but to be fair, it isn’t exactly a pretty picture.”

Gus sat back and rested his hands on the ground. He nodded at Willow.

“I’m here for you if you feel comfortable sharing,” He offered. “It’s okay if you’re not.” 

Willow played with her hands and paused before speaking up again.

“No, I want to,” Gus nodded and she continued. “Well, growing up, I was basically a doormat.” 

Gus gasped and leaned forward. He held his hands clasped in front of him.

“You’re kidding right?” 

Willow chuckled, “Nope. I had a really hard time standing up for myself,” She looked up at the sky and watched as a cloud drifted past. “I lost contact with my best friend when I moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco in elementary school. Since then, I’ve had trouble making any other friends. I never seemed to fit in with the other kids, and the girls at my new school made sure to single me out and bully me,” She looked back to Gus, who was listening very attentively. “My dads taught me that it was best to avoid conflict, so I just tried to avoid them when I could and ignore them talking behind my back. Of course, since I didn’t address the issue, it only grew worse and worse. I became pretty isolated from my classmates, and usually ate lunch and spent free time alone in the school garden. One day, the leader of the group of girls who picked on me found me tending to the new plants I had suggested for the community garden the school started. She stomped all over them, right in front of me. And that’s when I finally snapped. I punched her in the face and broke her nose, but I regretted it immediately. Now I was just as bad as her, since I resorted to punching my feelings out instead of doing the right thing and finding an adult for help.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think she deserved it,” Gus chipped in. Willow snorted.

“Yeah, well she didn’t seem to think so. She was so angry that she started yelling and pushed me to the ground. As she stood over me, she told me that I was a loser, a waste of space, and reminded me that I would always be alone,” Willow’s voice cracked. “The worst part was that I believed her. I got up to my feet and ran off. And like you, I found the train. I didn’t know where it was headed, but I figured anywhere was better than there.”

Gus reached out and grabbed hold of her hand, rubbing small circles on the back of her hand.

“Thank you for sharing that with me,” He squeezed her hand. “I hope you know that you’re not alone or a waste of space, and that you’re definitely not a loser. You’re one of the coolest people I know,” He smiled. “And you’ve got me now, so the next time you run into that girl let me know so I can rub it in her face that she was wrong about you.” Willow chuckled and squeezed his hand.

“Thanks Gus.”

He opened his arms and Willow fell into them, wrapping her arms around him tightly. While Willow wasn’t normally one for hugs, save for her dads, Gus felt like family. 

A soft musical melody began playing from the purple gemstone, and they separated in confusion. The rock began vibrating before shooting a violet beam of light into the sky. After a few moments, she could hear loud thundering footsteps grow closer to them. A lavender crystal giant came lumbering over from the crystal forest. Its eyes were rounded magenta gems. The giant winked and gave them a thumbs up.

“Uh-” Gus tentatively raised a hand in greeting, unsure of what to do. 

The giant’s mouth opened, revealing light blue crystal teeth. The giant reached into its throat and pulled out a redstone staircase. It flicked the flimsy ladder Gus had painstakingly constructed, launching it sailing through the air. Gus reached out a hand feebly towards the painstakingly crafted ladder as it disappeared over the horizon.

The crystal giant set the staircase down, so its steps led right up to the exit door. The giant reached around its neck for a small necklace with a locket attached. Somehow, its huge fingers were able to carefully open the locket, take out a small golden key and unlock the door with a soft click. The giant raised a single hand, and pointed to its palm. Gus looked down at his number. It was now at 35, the most it had decreased through a single action thus far. 

“Huh,” He opened and closed his palm, seeing if it would change again. It didn’t.

While Gus examined his number, Willow decided to check on hers too. Her eyes widened. Instead of 64, her palm now read 53. 

“Did yours go down too?” Willow asked, looking up at her friend.

“Yeah!” Gus grinned. “Up top!” He raised his hand, right palm facing her. Willow rolled her eyes and high-fived him, biting back a smile. She waved goodbye to the denizen and the giant that had helped them and turned to the staircase.

“Let’s go,” She waved a hand towards the exit, indicating to Gus to follow her.

Willow and Gus walked up the staircase and stopped at the exit door. Before they stepped through, they exchanged a look and nodded. 

Whatever came next, they knew that they could depend on each other to be there. Just like they had for every train car and challenge they had faced before, they would get through it.

Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/godless_glasses), [tumblr](https://lexa-alycia.tumblr.com), [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/godless.glasses/)


	9. High Spirits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Under a blue moon, Luz and Amity encounter a fiery headless horseman, a vicious grim wolf, and a mischievous ghost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for 3500+ hits! I hope y'all enjoy this chapter, it's the longest one yet (11906 words)!!!
> 
> Please let me know what your favorite scene/chapter/character is so far in the comments!
> 
> Link to the [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDrudZMcDak) that appears in the chapter. Art by [@ashesofking](https://www.instagram.com/ashesofking/) :)) check out their work on Instagram!
> 
> As always, thanks to Theatrical72 for beta reading this chapter! They gave me some really good feedback that helped me edit an important part of the story. Check out their toh future fic if you haven't already! :))

The forest was nearly silent, save for the swaying of branches in the trees, and the crunching of leaves underfoot as Luz and Amity carefully picked their way across fallen logs and uneven dips in the ground. The ground was mushy, covered in equal parts mud and moss. To Amity’s displeasure, when they had first entered the train car hours ago she had taken a wrong step and got her foot stuck in the sunken ground for five minutes as Luz struggled to pull her free. After much effort, a few choice curse words courtesy of Amity, and a heated debate on whether or not to abandon the sneaker, Luz managed to pull Amity’s foot out of the mud with a pop, nearly falling over in the process.

From the onset, the dark forest was bathed in an ethereal glow from the blue moon that shined from high above. The sky was devoid of stars, the moon provided their only source of light. Everything was shrouded in a dense grey fog that made it difficult to see further than 10 feet in front of them. The air was crisp and cool, with the temperature gradually dropping the longer they walked.

Luz and Amity stayed close, no more than two feet away from each other, as both passengers found themselves increasingly unnerved by the inherent eeriness of the train car they found themselves in. They had yet to run into anyone, denizen or passenger. And, if Luz was being honest with herself, she felt scared. She sensed they were being watched, and her neck prickled with goosebumps. The jagged wooden teeth that sprouted from the hollow insides of the trees that surrounded them did nothing to dissuade her uneasiness. And, to make matters worse, Luz and Amity had come across several mutated woodland animals with large eyeballs placed randomly on their bodies. Luz had screeched when one ran across her feet, scrambling back in terror. 

Nervous tingles went up and down Luz’s spine and she tried in vain to focus on putting one step in front of the other. Absentmindedly, she fiddled with the watch on her wrist, twisting it in a familiar and comforting fashion. It almost never failed to help ground her in times of trepidation. Suddenly, a whispered shout startled Luz out of her musings.

“Luz!”

“What?” Luz raised her head and turned to face Amity, not noticing the low-hanging tree branch in her path.

_WHAP!_

“Ow!” The branch hit Luz’s forehead with a sharp sting, and sent her sprawling to the floor. 

She heard footsteps approach her prone form, and the tired sigh that followed.

“This is the sixth time in the last two days that you've neglected to watch where you were going,” Amity looked down at Luz with an irritated expression, lips pressed together. 

Luz sat up, and rubbed her forehead with a wince. She could already feel a bump beginning to form. Nevertheless, she looked up at Amity with a cheerful smile.

“You’ve been keeping track?” Luz leaned forward, tilting her head inquiringly.

Amity scoffed, taking a step back, and crossed her arms. 

“C’mon, get up. We need to find somewhere to stay for the night, it’s only getting colder.”

This wasn’t the first time she had dodged one of Luz’s questions, or amiable attempts at banter. Amity turned and stalked off, disappearing into the dense fog. Luz rose quickly to her feet and followed her, not wanting to be left behind.

The past two days with Amity had been slightly awkward at the best of times and horribly tense at worst. Even though Luz was immensely glad she wasn’t traveling alone anymore, Amity made… _interesting_ company, to put it lightly. Any attempt at conversation that wasn’t relevant to traversing a train car or unlocking exit doors was promptly squashed or completely ignored. The green-haired passenger hardly spoke a word unless she deemed it necessary. At first, Luz figured Amity was still salty about the Colosseum Car _incident_. But, despite her apology when they first set off together and best efforts to be friendly, like giving Amity some space at the beginning of their shared journey, it was like she had hit a roadblock. 

Amity’s standoffish attitude was different from Willow’s- who was initially skeptical of Luz, but grew to befriend her over the week they had spent together. It was clear from the get go that Willow cared deeply for Gus, hence her protectiveness and guarded attitude. Amity on the other hand, was far more aloof. She didn’t seem to care for anything besides making it through each train car they passed through.

Luz couldn’t figure out for the life of her why Amity was so cold. Was she still holding a grudge from their initial meeting? Did her detached demeanor have anything to do with the large watermelon Luz may or may not have accidentally dropped on her foot the other day? Or was the root cause something else entirely? Regardless, Luz was determined to crack the case. She had seen how much it affected Amity to have to say goodbye to her friend, Lilith. Clearly, they had been close- so she was capable of developing relationships with other people, despite her best efforts to circumvent forming any semblance of one with Luz. 

Luz felt a sudden surge of guilt for having been the reason for their separation, but did her best to push it back down. Lilith herself had insisted it was for the best. 

And it had been… right?

“Hey, I think I found something.”

Amity’s sharp voice stirred Luz out of her thoughts. She looked up from where she had been watching the path in front of her and towards her companion. Amity was pointing to a whirl of grey smoke rising in the air. Luz’s eyes widened and she perked up.

“Amazing! Looks like we’ll have somewhere to spend the night after all!” Luz grinned at Amity, who returned her gaze with a neutral look.

“We’ll see about that.”

With that, Amity began walking towards their new destination, leaving Luz gawking after her. Luz bit down her disappointment at Amity’s less than eager reaction. She got to her feet and tried to stay positive as she walked through the forest.

_If I could crack Willow, I can definitely befriend Amity! I just need to get on her good side somehow._

Luz spared a glance at her companion, whose focus was directed on the narrow trail front of her. As if sensing Luz’s eyes on her, Amity turned to meet her gaze with a raised eyebrow. Caught in the act, Luz flushed and quickly turned away. She shook her head, smacking her forehead with her hand.

_Okay, first step: Stop weirding her out._

They walked for about 10 more minutes until they finally came out of the forest into a large clearing. The fog from earlier had cleared somewhat, improving their visibility.

In the middle of the clearing was a dilapidated three story mansion that looked like it came straight out of a horror movie. It was painted white with a brown tiled roof. The paint was cracked and completely missing in several places. The wooden panels were chipped and worn down. The curtains were shuttered and there weren’t any lights on. Even so, Luz noticed a faint tendril of smoke rise out of the chimney. Someone was inside. 

To the left of the house was a large cemetery, surrounded by black metal fencing with barbed wire strung along the top. A broken gate with torn off hinges left its entrance wide open. Past the entrance was a small church. Save for the rustling of wind through the trees, all was quiet.

Luz felt a creeping sense of dread… as if she wasn’t supposed to be here. Her stomach flip-flopped and she shifted uncomfortably on her feet. For some reason, the house and cemetery were incredibly unsettling to take in. Luz felt like it was beyond their appearance, and that there was something inherently foreboding about the scene before her. The blue moon cast long creeping shadows against the clearing. She was about to voice her discomfort to Amity when the girl in question spoke up.

“I don’t like this place,” Amity narrowed her eyes. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

Luz was quick to agree.

“Yeah!” Her voice cracked. “Should we keep walking then?”

Amity nodded, turning to face Luz.

“Let’s go--” Amity froze. Her eyes widened in horror. “Luz. Don’t turn around,” She whispered.

Luz felt her stomach drop. Her hands began to sweat, even though it must’ve been 50°F (10°C) out. She had never seen Amity’s cool facade crack-- even when they were chased by those miniature sword-wielding gnomes yesterday. Whatever had caused the palpable fear in her eyes couldn’t be anything good. 

“Amity,” Luz swallowed nervously. “What’s wrong?”

A horse neighed, shattering the silence of the night.

Against her better judgement, Luz turned around. She immediately yelped, backpedaling until she bumped into Amity, who steadied her with a hand on her shoulder. 

Before them was, of all things they could have possibly encountered, a headless horseman. He was seated on a tall, inky black horse, wearing an emerald suit and long black boots. In his gloved right hand was a flaming pumpkin wearing a crooked grin and hollow eyes with a mischievous glint to them. The horse’s eyes were a ghostly white, and as it huffed it blew red-orange flames from its nostrils.

Amity’s grip on Luz tightened.

“What do we do?” Luz whispered into Amity’s ear. 

Amity flinched as Luz’s warm breath ghosted the shell of her ear, but she collected herself.

“We make a break for the house on my signal,” She murmured back. 

Luz’s brows furrowed in confusion. She shifted closer to Amity, but not because she was frightened or worried about their predicament (she certainly was).

“What are you--”

“Now!” Amity shouted. She turned and grasped Luz’s hand, tugging her forward as she took off at breakneck speed towards the mansion. 

The headless horseman spurred his horse into action. He gave chase, hooves clomping loudly behind them. This only made Amity quicken her pace, pulling Luz along as she panted heavily behind her. As they reached the mansion, Amity dropped Luz’s hand and approached the front door. She didn’t hesitate to try opening the door, but it didn’t budge. She huffed in frustration.

“Of course it’s locked,” She groaned, running a hand through her hair.

Luz bounced on her feet nervously. She looked behind them but the headless horseman had stopped right at the edge of the mansion’s property line. He was watching them, his blood red eyes shined brightly in the darkness.

“Maybe there’s a key under the doormat?” Luz suggested.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Amity rolled her eyes and slumped against the wall adjacent to the front door. “Like it’d be that easy.”

Luz shrugged and walked up to the front door. She bent down and carefully flipped the mat over. Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise, and she picked up an old silver key from the ground. Luz flipped the mat back over and stood up.

“Looks like it was,” She waved the key teasingly in front of Amity.

Amity snatched the key from her hands.

“Hey!” Luz cried out.

“Quit goofing off, let’s just get inside,” Amity answered over her shoulder as she unlocked the door. She pushed it open and walked through the entrance, with Luz close behind.

“She couldn’t take a joke if her life depended on it,” Luz muttered under her breath.

“What was that?” Amity’s voice asked challengingly.

“Nothing!” Luz squeaked.

Once they were both inside, the door slammed shut behind them, leaving them in complete darkness. It was silent for a moment and then-

“Was that you?”

“No,” Luz whispered. “I don’t suppose that was you either?”

“Luz, I was in front of you,” Amity sighed.

“Right,” Luz nodded. “I knew that.”

“Well,” Amity drawled. “This should be fun.”

Thinking quickly, Luz patted her pockets, searching for her phone. Finally, she found it.

“Aha!” Luz turned on her phone and tapped the flashlight icon. 

She shined it right into Amity’s eyes.

“Watch where you point that thing!” Amity scolded. She winced and turned away, blinking rapidly to adjust to the new source of light.

“Oops,” Luz rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

Amity slipped her backpack off her shoulders and dug around for her cellphone until she found it at the bottom of the bag, tangled with her headphone’s cord. She pulled it out, closing her backpack and putting it on again as she turned on the device. Soon enough, there were two sweeping beams of light in the mansion.

“Stay close, we don’t know if this place is safe yet,” Amity instructed.

Luz nodded. Both passengers swept through the foyer on the mansion, their footsteps making the wooden floorboards creak. While it had been extremely cold outside, the inside of the mansion was lukewarm. This struck Luz as odd because it seemed like the power was out. Their phone lights revealed cobwebs hanging in the corners of the foyer, along with a large crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the room. There were several doors on either side of them, with large windows across from the entrance revealing the backyard. A spiral staircase was placed in front of the windows, leading to the upper floors. Clearing her throat, Luz glanced at Amity and decided to address the elephant in the room.

“If there was smoke coming from the chimney inside, shouldn’t there be someone in here?”

Amity paused for a moment, and then continued walking.

“Maybe,” She flashed her light against a wall, revealing a portrait of an portly old man in a tophat and grey suit. “If anyone lives here, they might be out. Hopefully we don’t run into anyone and can rest for a few hours before taking off again.”

Luz hummed in affirmation, and continued sweeping the foyer with Amity. They tried opening several doors, but they were all locked, save for one. Amity stepped through first and Luz followed. They had found the main dining room. There was a large ornate wooden table with several chairs on either side. At the ends of the table were high-backed chairs meant for the hosts. Strangely enough, the dining table was clear of dust and was set with cutlery and napkins. Amity frowned, but continued walking across the room to the door on the other side. Luz lagged behind, noticing a newspaper placed on the seat of one of the chairs.

“Amity, I think I found something,” Luz picked up the old newspaper, blowing off a layer of dust as she held it to her eyes.

Amity back walked over and peered over Luz’s shoulder to get a good look at what she was holding. On the front page was a photo of a flipped over blackened car, it looked completely unsalvageable. They read the article that accompanied the photo together in silence. 

**Thornwood Gazette, April 1, 1979**

**QUESTIONS RAISED IN LOCAL DEATH**

**By: Jeremiah P. Thompson**

_A coroner’s inquest has returned a verdict of accidental death in last week’s Primrose Ave. fatality. Miss Elizabeth J. Renneker, 25, was traveling east on the morning of March 23 when her car swerved through the barriers protecting a construction site on the De Marcos bridge and crashed into the ravine below, catching fire. Miss Renneker was killed instantly upon impact. Her sister, Mrs. Kimberly Fowler, wife of the prominent manufacturer, provided evidence that Miss Renneker suffered from severe headaches affecting her vision. In response to questioning, she denied any possibility of intoxication as Miss Renneker did not drink…_

“Interesting story, but irrelevant to us,” Amity commented.

“I don’t know about that,” Luz scratched her head. “This is the only thing we’ve found here besides dust and fancy furniture. It could be important!” 

“I doubt it,” Amity waved a hand and turned away, shining her phone light to the other side of the room. “C’mon, let’s see what’s behind door number two.”

Begrudgingly, Luz placed the newspaper back where she had found it and caught up to Amity. Amity placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted. To their surprise, it popped right off and when she pulled her hand away, the knob came with it. 

“Uh…,” Amity was at a loss for words. 

She looked down at her hand, where the number 120 glowed brightly under the clear crystal doorknob. She had noticed it decreased from 137 after saying goodbye to Lilith, though she wasn’t completely sure as to why. Luz was about to speak up when the door creaked open, despite being broken. Amity raised a brow questioningly.

“Well, that’s convenient,” She muttered under her breath.

Amity stepped through the door, dropping the door knob on the ground. One hand held her phone and the other was raised defensively. She was extremely wary of the mansion, it creeped the hell out of her and she wouldn’t be surprised if they ran into a dangerous denizen like they had outside. 

They stepped into a large living room. In the corner, a warm fire crackled inside a red brick chimney, lighting the dwelling so that the portraits hanging on the wall were visible. To Amity and Luz’s discomfort, each of the portraits had their eyes scratched out.

“That’s a sight for sore eyes,” Luz joked.

Amity ignored the comment and plopped down on an armchair by the fire. She leaned back into the chair and closed her eyes. Luz remained by the door, standing awkwardly and twisting her wristwatch.

“Um, are you sure we should just make ourselves home here?” Luz shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

Amity cracked an eye open.

“Not at all. But we don’t have anywhere else to rest that’s not cold as hell. I say we rest here for at least an hour and then move on. It’s better than collapsing in the woods from exhaustion when it’s 50°F (10°C) out.”

Luz acquiesced, reasoning that what Amity had said made sense. She joined her by the fireplace and sat on the edge of an armchair opposite of her. While Amity had already closed both her eyes and was melded into her armchair, Luz felt too tense to relax. Her right foot tapped incessantly against the carpeted floor and her eyes bounced around the room, expecting something to jump out at the drop of a hat.

Enjoying horror movies and venturing through haunted houses back home in Los Angeles was one thing, but staying in one brought on an entirely different feeling. She was on the edge of her seat, literally and figuratively, waiting for the other shoe to drop. After a few minutes, Amity sighed and spoke up, eyes still closed.

“I can hear you, y’know.”

“Sorry.”

Luz stopped her tapping. She tried to lean back comfortably into the armchair but her nerves remained. Just as she closed her eyes, her ears picked up on faint music coming through the open doorway. It sounded like a piano. Her eyes shot open and she scrambled to her feet. Hearing Luz fumble around, Amity jumped to her feet, startled. 

“What’s going on?” She asked, looking around the room. Amity relaxed when she noticed nothing new. Her look of confusion turned into a scowl. “What’s up with you?”

“I heard something!” Luz insisted. She leaned in closer to Amity, whose scowl only deepened. “It was a piano, coming from there.” She gestured to the door they had come in from.

A line formed between Amity’s eyebrows. She strained her ears to listen, but heard nothing save for the crackling and popping of burning wood. 

“I think you’re just on edge,” Amity crossed her arms. “You’ve been anxious ever since we arrived.”

“And I have every right to be!” Luz waved her arms around. “Have you seen this place? It’s super creepy! Someone probably died here, and it wouldn’t surprise me if there were a few ghosts lurking around!”

Amity shook her head and crossed her arms behind her back.

“Listen, I don’t like this place either, but panicking isn’t going to help anyone,” She ran a hand through her hair. “Just try to calm down, and don’t bother me unless you actually hear something.” Amity sat back down on the armchair, kicking her feet up on a coffee table.

“But I did,” Luz pouted.

Luz was adamant she had heard something. A wave of determination washed over her. 

“And I’m going to prove it to you!” She placed her hands on her hips.

Amity pressed her lips together, and leaned forward.

“I really don’t think you--”

“I’ll be right back!” Luz turned on her heels and raced out of the room.

“--should do that,” Amity finished as she watched Luz run off. She dropped her head in her hands. “Why is she like this?” She groaned.

Lamenting the loss of the ever level-headed Lilith, not for the first time in the past two days, Amity rose to her feet, grumbling about having to accompany Luz everywhere as if she were a child. She eyed the warm fire wistfully, before reaching out and grabbing a sharp fireplace iron, just in case she might run into something unfriendly in the mansion. She rested it against her shoulder and left the room. 

Amity reentered the dining room, but it was empty. The only sign someone had been in it was the open door leading to the foyer. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone, turning on the flashlight and holding it one hand while the other held the poker.

Amity walked across the room, to the open door. She reached it and poked her head out cautiously. The foyer was empty, all the doors were closed, save for one at the other end of the hall. A line formed between her eyebrows and Amity’s shoulders tensed. 

_That door was locked when we first came through here._

Her grip on the poker tightened, and she approached the door slowly, careful to not let the floorboards creak under her feet. Once she reached the door, she looked around to ensure she was alone and stepped inside, the poker held defensively in front of her.

“Oh, hey Amity! Look what I found!” Luz stood upright from where she had been inspecting a golden harp. “Isn’t this so cool?” She plucked a string, and a sharp _twang_ echoed through the room.

Amity blinked. Surprisingly, Luz wasn’t in danger. She had found the music room. A wide variety of musical instruments were scattered throughout, some on the ground and others placed carefully on tables, including guitars, violins, cellos, and even a full drum set. Amity walked over to Luz and flicked her on the forehead.

“Ow!” Luz rubbed the sore spot. “What was that for?”

“Don’t run off like that again,” Amity narrowed her eyes. “You said it yourself, we don’t know what might be in here.” Luz gasped.

“Wow! That’s the first time you’ve acknowledged that I might be right about something!” She grinned. 

Amity wanted to throttle her. Biting back a retort, she counted to 10 before speaking again.

“That’s not what I meant,” She spoke slowly, hoping Luz would understand her.

“Eh, I’ll take it,” Luz shrugged, turning back to play with the harp once more.

Amity sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Any attempt at reasoning with Luz was a lost cause, she had learned that lesson already. She looked around and decided to do some exploring herself, all previous thoughts of needing to rest forgotten. She walked over to an acoustic guitar leaning against a stand and picked it up. Amity plucked at a few strings experimentally, tuning it so that it was just right. Once satisfied, she started to strum a song, humming softly as the tune came to her.

Across the room, Luz perked up at the sound of music and grinned ear to ear upon seeing Amity play the guitar. She opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated. She didn’t want to bother Amity and cause her to stop playing. Luz didn’t recognize the song, but it was really nice. She closed her eyes and bopped her head to the music, starting to get a feel for it. The music swelled as a violin and two trumpets were added to the mix. She froze. 

_Wait a second._

Luz opened her eyes, shocked at the scene before her. The aforementioned musical instruments were floating in the air, matching the tune to Amity’s strumming perfectly. Amity hadn’t noticed, her eyes were closed in concentration. Luz’s eyes widened and she called out to her companion frantically in whispered shouts.

“Psst, Amity! Amity!”

Amity opened her eyes, wondering what Luz was on about this time. She jumped as she noticed the musical instruments floating in the air around her, yet she managed to keep playing. She shook her head in disbelief. 

“This is-”

“So freaking cool!” Luz exclaimed, cutting her off.

Amity met her gaze from across the room. It was hard not to mirror the sheer joy Luz’s warm brown eyes reflected in them. She looked away, feeling slightly unnerved by the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. She focused on finishing the song, and once she did, Amity looked up again. Luz was clapping and let out a loud whoop, cupping her hands around her mouth.

“Bravo, bravo!”

Amity rolled her eyes as she placed the guitar back on the stand. The song she’d played wasn’t particularly hard, and she had memorized it without too much difficulty. Her parents had forced her, along with many other things, into musical lessons when she turned five. Now that she was thinking about it, Amity had to admit that the guitar had certainly grown on her. The musical instruments drifted down from the air, back into their original positions. Luz pressed her hands to her cheeks.

“Amity, that was amazing! You’re super talented!”

“It wasn’t much,” Amity shrugged, shifting on her feet. She wasn’t used to receiving genuine, unconditional praise, especially from people she barely knew. It was an almost foreign concept to her.

“Hmm,” Luz rubbed her chin. “Y’know, earlier I swore I heard a piano, but there isn’t one in here.”

Amity pursed her lips. Sure, initially she figured Luz had just been imagining hearing things, but claiming to hear a piano and then finding a music room without one struck her as odd. She was about to speak up when she heard a loud creak. She tilted her head in confusion. Amity strained her ears to hear where it had come from, and heard the noise once more. It was coming from above where Luz was standing. Amity looked up, her eyes widening. 

There was a black grand piano hanging from the ceiling, held up by rapidly fraying rope. She had no idea how either of them hadn’t noticed it before. She looked back down at Luz, who had slipped her bag off her shoulder and was digging around for something.

_Shit._

Amity broke out into a run, pumping her arms as fast as she could.

“Luz!”

Luz looked up, bewildered by Amity’s panicked tone. 

“Amity?” She took a step back hesitantly. “Why are you--” She was cut off as Amity tackled her to the ground just as the rope snapped, the piano landing where Luz had been standing with a loud crash of shattered wood and broken keys. Luz’s head hit the floor painfully and she let out a groan. She blinked open her eyes blearily, realizing Amity was on top of her. 

“What happened?” Spots flashed as Luz tried to look around, throwing her vision out of whack.

Once Amity registered where she was, or rather, who she was on top of, she quickly scrambled to her feet. Seeing Luz wince in pain as she tried to sit up on her own, she extended a hand and pulled her to her feet.

“You were almost flattened by a piano,” Amity crossed her arms as Luz leaned against the wall of the room, rubbing her head with gritted teeth. “Maybe this will teach you to not go wandering around in places you know nothing about.”

Luz met Amity’s eyes with a resolute expression.

“Look, we both know there’s something off about this place. I thought I could find out what it was so we wouldn’t have to worry about it.”

“And look where we are now!” Amity gestured to the broken piano. “You nearly got yourself killed! If I hadn’t followed you, you’d be dead right now!” 

“You’re right,” Luz winced. She looked down at her feet, scuffing her feet against the floor. “I’m sorry for running off without thinking.”

“Good,” Amity nodded, and pointed a single finger at Luz. “And don’t you dare think about pulling a stunt like that again. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

Luz perked up at that, and a small smile turned the corner of her lips upward.

“Aw, Amity!” She clasped her hands together. “Were you worried about me?”

Amity flushed, taking a few steps back.

“No! I just-- I just--” Amity stuttered, grasping for words. 

“Mhm,” Luz nodded, a smug expression on her face.

“Ugh! Just shut up!” Amity huffed. “You are so annoying!”

_Why does she always take what I say completely out of context?!_

Amity grumbled to herself, avoiding eye contact with Luz until she composed herself. She ran a hand through her hair and turned back to face her.

“Look, I think we should get out of here. I don’t think it’s safe anymore, given what just happened and how both of us are feeling really unsettled by this place.”

Luz nodded and picked her backpack up off the floor, closing it before she secured it over her shoulders.

“Agreed. Even though it’s super cold outside, and there’s a headless horseman that may or may not try to kill us, it’s better than death by falling musical instruments.”

After Amity retrieved the fire poker, both passengers walked out of the music room and made their way across the foyer. As they reached the door, Luz relaxed a bit. No ghosts had appeared or tried to kill them (again), and they were practically home free. This time, Luz was the one to reach over and open the door. Before she could, however, it sprung open and someone stepped inside. Startled, Luz yelped and clung to Amity, who batted her away and pushed Luz behind her. Amity wielded the poker threateningly, pointing it at the newcomer.

“Who are you?”

The woman met Amity’s hard glare and smiled. She raised both hands placatingly.

“Now now, there’s no need for that,” The woman rested her hands behind her back, she looked completely calm. “My name is Jade, and I’m the denizen that lives here.”

Amity didn’t lower the poker. She kept it pointed at the woman, jaw set.

“Well Jade, we’ll be on our way now. If you could move out of the way, that’d be great.”

Jade stepped aside, smoothing over her pink skirt and adjusting her white blouse.

“Not a problem, though I must recommend that it’s probably better if you two spend the night in here rather than outside.” Jade brushed a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

“No thanks,” Luz piped up. “A piano almost crushed me and I’d rather live to see another day.”

Jade turned to Luz and chuckled. 

“Oh, really?” She raised an eyebrow. “You must have done something to anger Benny.”

Amity and Luz looked at each other, and then back to Jade.

“Benny?” They echoed, confused.

“Yes! He’s my roommate, and also happens to be a ghost,” Jade waved off the last part of that statement, as if it wasn’t a big deal or anything. “Anyway, he gets upset at the passengers who stop by pretty easily, especially if they go out of their way to make poorly timed jokes.”

Amity gave Luz a withering look. Luz shrunk under her gaze.

“Hey! It’s not my fault this ghost doesn’t have a sense of humor!” 

“Luz, it’s not even about being funny, which your jokes aren’t. They’re just annoying.”

Luz pouted and looked away. Amity lowered the fire poker, but still kept a firm grip on it. She cocked a head at Jade, still skeptical of her sudden appearance.

“Almost killing Luz seems a bit extreme, even if she does have a cringe-worthy sense of humor,” Amity narrowed her eyes. And why weren’t you here earlier?”

Jade’s smile didn’t falter. This unnerved Amity, but she kept her own expression neutral.

“Well, death is a bit relative for corporeal ghosts who have been around longer than you or I. And to answer your second question, I was checking the wards I placed around the mansion to protect it from Jack.”

“Jack?” Luz asked.

“The headless horseman,” Jade looked between Amity and Luz. “I assume he’s the reason you sought shelter here, correct?”

“Yeah!” Luz nodded her head rapidly. “He was _really_ scary.”

“Looks like we’re in the same boat then!” Jade’s smile widened. “I insist you both spend the night. He only roams the woods when the sun is down, and by the morning he’ll be gone.”

Luz and Amity exchanged another look. Luz nodded but Amity pressed her lips together, weighing their options.

_If we leave, it’ll be extremely cold outside and both of us only have light clothes on and have no idea how to start a fire without a lighter or something. Plus, the headless horseman is out there, and there’s no telling what he’d do with us._

Amity examined Jade, who was patiently waiting for their response.

_But, this lady doesn’t exactly scream trustworthy. She went outside in those clothes and isn’t shivering at all. Plus, she was conveniently gone when Luz was almost crushed by a piano. To add onto that, apparently there’s an irritable ghost that holds no qualms with killing either of us if we upset it again._

Amity’s mind raced, weighing the pros and cons of both options. Finally, she settled on the mansion. They would stick to her original plan-- stay here to rest for a little while, not the whole night, before setting off again. And if Jade did anything more to draw suspicion, they would leave right away. She nodded back at Luz.

“We accept!” Luz extended a hand to Jade. “Thank you!”

Jade looked at the hand distastefully, nose curled as if she had smelled something bad.

“Oh no, that won’t be necessary,” She pressed her lips together. “You can put that away now.”

Amity bit back a snort as Luz frowned, retracting her hand.

“You both must be famished! Would you like something to eat?” Jade offered.

“I think we’re--” 

“Yes please!” Luz clapped her hands together excitedly.

Amity sighed. Jade nodded and started walking down the foyer.

“Come along now,” She called over her shoulder. “I’ll let you pick out whatever you’d like from the kitchen.”

Luz followed Jade without hesitation. Amity looked around the foyer, but seeing nothing out of place, she decided to trail behind Luz, resting the poker against her shoulder as she walked.

  
  


\---- ---- ----

  
  


After eating dinner, which consisted of surprisingly tasty cup o’ noodle soup, Luz and Amity returned to the living room with the fireplace, this time joined by Jade. Luz napped but Amity remained alert. The last time she had tried to relax in this mansion resulted in Luz nearly being killed, and there was no way she’d let either of them get into danger again if she could help it. After about an hour of flipping through a book, Jade rose to her feet and yawned. 

“Well, I’m going to settle in for the night. There are bedrooms upstairs if you two decide to stay.”

Amity nodded as she left the room. Once her footsteps had faded away, she reached over to Luz and shook her awake.

“Luz, wake up.”

Luz mumbled something in her sleep, snuggling further into the armchair. Amity’s eye twitched in annoyance, and she tried again.

“Luz,” She prodded her again. “We’re leaving now, get up.”

Luz grumbled, snorting in her sleep before a well placed pinch from Amity made her jump, eyes fluttering open.

“¿Eh? ¿Qué pasó?” Luz rubbed her eyes blearily. 

Amity rolled her eyes.

“Nothing happened,” She stood from the armchair, stretching her arms. “Grab your bag, let’s ditch this place.”

“You understand Spanish?” Luz looked thrilled. She bounced eagerly to her feet, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

“Yeah, I’ve been taking lessons since elementary school,” Amity shrugged.

“Wow! Hardly any gringas I know speak Spanish. I’m impressed.”

“It’s not that impressive,” Amity began walking to the door, Luz next to her. “My siblings know three languages other than English, and my Mandarin still holds a lot to be desired.”

Luz shook her head in disbelief.

“You’re multilingual, super athletic, and can probably play several different instruments. Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Anything I actually _want_ to do,” Amity muttered under her breath.

“What was that?” Luz asked, leaning forward to hear better.

Amity’s shoulders tensed, and her grip on her backpack strap and the fire poker (it had grown on her, okay?) tightened.

“Nothing,” She bit out, staring straight ahead as they walked through the foyer. 

Luz opened her mouth as if to say something else, but held back. She didn’t want to upset Amity, just when she had actually managed to hold somewhat of a conversation with her.

They reached the entrance of the mansion. Just as Amity reached for the door handle, a voice spoke up from behind them.

“Leaving so soon?”

Luz screeched, turning and pressing her back against the wall. Amity whipped the poker out, pointing it at the ghost who hovered in front of them. He looked to be somewhere in his 20s, he was wearing a casual tunic and long pants tucked into high boots. His short brown hair was slicked back, and he wore a smug expression on his face.

“Benny, I presume?” Amity said.

“That’s my name, haunting people is my game,” He winked.

“I thought you didn’t like bad jokes or puns?” Luz tilted her head questioningly.

“From other people, yeah,” He crossed his arms. “There’s only room for one jokester in this train car, and that’s me.”

Amity raised an eyebrow. Rather than menacing or threatening, this ghost just sounded like a prick with an ego to fill. So, nothing she hadn’t dealt with before.

“Well Benny, it was lovely meeting you,” Amity rested a hand on the door handle. “But we must be going now.”

He cocked his head, raising an eyebrow in question.

“Go where? To get trampled by the headless horseman? You have no idea where the exit door is, and don’t have the key either.”

“There’s a key?” Luz cried, throwing her hands to her head.

Amity lowered the poker and decided to take a different approach to what she had initially planned.

“You seem to know more about this car than we do, which makes sense since you seem like an informed ghost that also happens to be a part-time comedian,” She tried to lay it on thick.

“Wow, you’re really bad at complimenting people,” Luz whispered in her ear. 

Amity refrained from punching Luz, and continued speaking.

“Any chance you know where the exit door is, or where we can find the key?”

Benny smiled, placing a finger to his chin as his face took on a contemplative look.

“Maybe I do,” He rubbed his chin. “Tell you what, if you run an errand for me I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

“We’ll do it!” Luz bounced on her feet, excited to finally have a lead on a way out of this car.

“Luz!” Amity elbowed her sharply. “We don’t even know what he wants us to do!”

Luz winced, clutching her side in pain. 

“Well yeah, but it’s not like we have any idea of what we’re supposed to be doing, right?”

“So, what’ll it be?” Benny clapped his hands together, not making a sound. “Will you listen to my proposition?”

Amity sighed, feeling a slight headache coming on. 

“Fine,” She crossed her arms with a huff.

“Wonderful!” The ghost twirled in the air before creeping closer to them. Luz and Amity leaned back against the door, uncomfortable with the close contact. “I need you to go next door to the cemetery and retrieve a silver locket for me. It should be hanging from a cross inside the church.”

“That seems simple enough,” Luz perked up.

“What’s the catch?” Amity asked, eyes narrowing.

“Clever one, aren't you?” Benny hummed. “The cemetery is patrolled by a church grim. He and I aren’t on the best of terms, but if you manage to avoid running into him you’ll probably be fine.”

“What’s a church grim?” Luz asked, brows furrowing.

“A guardian spirit that is tasked with overseeing the protection of a church against vandals, thieves, and other sinners,” Benny replied.

“So it probably won’t like us taking the locket,” Amity surmised.

“Correct!” Benny snapped his fingers, though no sound came from the action.

“What do we do if he finds us?” Luz rocked on her feet nervously.

“Run away as fast as you can, I suppose,” Benny chuckled. 

“So nothing we’re not used to,” Amity muttered under her breath.

If Benny had heard her snide comment, he chose to ignore it.

“Regardless, I think you both should have a good shot at making it out unscathed. He’ll likely only come for you after you remove the locket from the church. So you only have to worry about making it back to the mansion. We have wards in place to keep out unwanted guests.”

“Sounds good,” Luz nodded and turned to Amity, offering her an elbow. “Shall we?” Luz wagged her eyebrows.

Amity scoffed. She brushed past Luz and opened the door.

“Let’s go,” She called over her shoulder as she stepped outside, zipping up her jacket.

Behind Luz, the ghost snickered and his voice took on a teasing tone.

“Not very fond of you, is she?”

“I’m working on it!” Luz protested. 

She followed Amity out of the house, ignoring Benny’s chuckles, and they made their way to the entrance of the cemetery. The temperature had dropped considerably, and their breath came out as translucent wisps, quickly dissipating into the air. Luz shivered and rubbed her arms, lamenting her fashion choice of wearing a short sleeved hoodie everywhere she went. Beside her, Amity dug her hands into her pockets. They trudged through the tall grass, feet sinking into the soft ground. Luz glanced around, thankfully there was no sign of the headless horseman. After a few minutes of walking, they reached the gates of the cemetery. The blue moon illuminated the rows of gravestones that stretched across the cemetery, as well as the white church that was located a ways inside. 

Luz and Amity walked together in silence, the only sounds were the muted padding of their feet against the ground and the chirping of crickets. Luz brought her hands to her face and cupped them together. She breathed into them to warm them up, but it didn’t work very well. Her fingers were numb with the cold and she shivered, goosebumps raised along her arms and lower legs. 

Eventually, they reached the front doors of the church. The wood was missing in some places and the white paint was chipped. The roof was a patchwork of red tiles and haphazardly lain planks of wood to hold it together. It loomed before them ominously, and Luz wasn’t feeling too great about having to break in to steal a locket, incurring the wrath of a grim in the process. Amity made to reach for the door handle, but paused. She turned to look at Luz, chewing on the bottom of her lip.

“I’ll take the locket,” Luz opened her mouth to protest but Amity held up a hand, stopping her in her tracks. “Out of the two of us, I’m faster. Also, I’m 99% sure you’d stumble on your feet and face plant if you tried to take off with it.

Luz frowned. Clearly, Amity still didn’t trust her even though they were supposed to work together and look out for each other. But, knowing Amity had already made up her mind, Luz nodded.

“Okay.”

Amity gripped the door handle and turned it slowly. The door creaked open with a loud whine. Amity stepped through first, and Luz followed. Elegant wooden pews were arranged in neat rows on either side of the room, leaving space between them to form a single aisle leading to the raised platform across from them. On the wooden platform was a table covered in white tablecloth, with a few bowls and bottles of wine on top. Next to the table was a tall wooden stand, a large cross affixed to the front. The blue moon’s light shined from the windows overhead and a silver locket twinkled, hanging from one of the stems of the cross. Amity and Luz walked down the aisle, floorboards creaking under their feet as they reached the cross. 

“Once I take the locket, we have to make it back to the mansion as fast as we can. Got it?” 

Luz nodded. She watched with bated breath as Amity reached over and picked up the locket. Amity slipped it over her neck and tucked it inside her shirt so it wouldn’t bounce around as she ran. Luz and Amity jogged back to the entrance and peered outside. Seeing nothing around, they took off, with Amity leading them through the cemetery, back to the entrance. As much as Luz hated running, she appreciated the increase in body temperature that came with it as it was still freezing outside. They passed worn down gravestones and the long dead flowers that adorned them. After a few minutes, they reached the entrance of the cemetery. There was no sign of a grim, or anything to suggest that they weren’t the only ones there. 

But, as they approached the wrought iron gates, the dark shadows that were cast on the ground shifted. The shadows moved smoothly, gathering at the entrance and manifesting into a wolf-like creature with black fur and icy blue eyes. Amity and Luz skidded to a halt, panting and catching their breath.

Amity stared blankly at the grim before them. Then, she glanced at Luz.

“Well, it wasn’t nice knowing you.”

“Amity!”

The grim growled, pawing at the dirt. It’s haunches tensed and it took a defensive position, ready to pounce on them at a moment’s notice. Both passengers took a few small steps back. Luz balled her fists, trying in vain to swallow down her nerves. Her mind raced, trying to scrounge together a plan to get themselves out of this situation. As she watched the grim bare its teeth at them, an idea struck her.

“We need to split up,” Luz whispered, bending her knees in preparation to run. 

Amity gave her an incredulous look. 

“What?!” Amity hissed. “Are you out of your mind?!”

“It’s the only way,” Luz insisted. “If we split up, we have a better chance of escaping. And if it comes after one of us, the other will be able to help.”

Amity furrowed her eyebrows, contemplating her options (there weren’t very many).

“If I die, it’s on you,” Amity conceded.

“I can live with that,” Luz managed a weak smile. “On my signal, we run. Try to make it back to the mansion, and if one of us doesn’t show, the other will try to get help from Jade.”

Amity nodded, and Luz decided to take a page out of her book.

“Now!” She yelled, kicking up dirt as she took off. Amity turned and ran in the opposite direction.

The grim hesitated for a moment, before the dark shadows that had created it reformed into two grims rather than one. Looking over their shoulders, Luz and Amity noticed this and cursed. Both pressed on, quicker than before, in an attempt to outrun the grim wolves. The grims chased them, their howls reverberating through the cemetery. 

Luz broke off from the path and ran across the graves of the dead, silently apologizing to the people she was trampling on in her best efforts to escape. She could hear the grim wolf tailing her growing closer. Her feet thundered against the ground and she made a sharp turn, towards a narrow gap in the fencing of the cemetery. It was in the opposite direction of the mansion, but she figured she could hopefully lose the grim in the forest and loop back around. 

Luz dove through the fence, tucking and rolling to her feet as she continued running. Her muscles ached but she pushed on, not wanting to become the grim’s next meal. As she broke through the trees, she gasped at the figure that materialized before her.

The headless horseman was back, this time wielding a flaming red sword in his right hand and holding his pumpkin head in his left. He twirled the weapon skillfully in his fingers. 

“Duck!” He called out, and threw the sword as if it were a javelin right at her.

Luz yelped and hit the dirt, her skin scraping against the ground. Behind her, the wolf grim whimpered in pain as the sword pierced it’s shadowy body. Luz raised her head, eyes widening as she watched the grim fade away until there was nothing but a sword on fire left wedged into the ground.

“Wh-- Why did you save me?” Luz looked to the horseman in confusion.

“Well, you were about to get mauled, so I thought it would be good to lend you a hand,” He slid off from the horse, rubbing it gently on the nose. The Horseman walked over to Luz and pulled the sword from the ground, sheathing it into a scabbard hanging on his waist. As he did, the flames died out. 

“The name’s Jack, the horse is Ichabod, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Luz shook her head in disbelief. 

“I don’t get it,” Luz sat up, a line forming between her brows. “Weren’t you trying to kill me before?”

Jack chuckled, the sound coming from the pumpkin, though it’s carved mouth didn’t move.

“Not at all,” He clasped his hands behind his back. “I was trying to help, but you and your friend got spooked and ran off before I could. Are you familiar with the phrase, appearances can be deceiving?”

Luz swallowed and nodded. She rose unsteadily to her feet. Her sore legs were now covered in scratches, along with her arms, from skidding across the ground.

“Speaking of your friend, where is she?” He looked around. “You didn’t get separated from each other, did you?”

Luz’s throat dried up, and her stomach dropped.

_Amity._

“We split up when the grim wolf found us,” Luz managed as she rubbed the back of her neck. “She’s a better runner than I am, so hopefully she made it back to the mansion.”

The eyes of the Jack O’Lantern dimmed.

“You better hope she didn’t.”

“What?” Luz tensed. “Why?”

“There is a malevolent spirit that haunts the mansion, and it takes the lives of any passengers that have the misfortune of spending the night.”

“Benny?” Luz scratched the back of her head. “I mean, he did almost flatten me with a piano, but he didn’t seem outwardly evil.”

“Let me guess,” Jack leaned forward. “You met a denizen named Jade, and were asked to retrieve a silver locket from the church cemetery.”

Luz’s eyes widened and her chest tightened. She nodded. 

“The truth is that she is a vengeful ghost that can split her spirit into several different manifestations, this Benny being one of them. She died a long time ago, in a fatal car accident caused by her jealous sister.”

Luz gasped.

_The newspaper. What had been the name of the victim?_

The words from the article flashed before her eyes.

_Elizabeth J. Renneker_

_J, as in Jade._

“Oh no,” Luz started to hyperventilate. “No no no,” She looked at Jack. “Please! You have to help me save her!” Luz tried to swallow down her panic and focus on the task at hand.

“I’m afraid I cannot come with you to the mansion as the wards bar my entry,” Luz’s face dropped in disappointment. “But, that doesn’t mean I can’t provide you with some assistance.”

Jack drew his sword once more, and the blade burst into flames as he did. He flipped it so that the hilt was extended to Luz and offered it to her. Luz looked at it for a moment before tentatively grasping it with her right hand. She held it away from her body so as to not burn her eyebrows off. The heat warmed her considerably.

“No need to worry about the flames or piercing yourself with the sword. It is meant to purge otherworldly spirits, and as such it causes no harm to passengers.”

Luz nodded, fingers trembling as she held the sword.

“You better get going now. If you’re too late, your friend will be gone from this world.”

“Thank you,” Luz choked out, heart hammering against her chest.

“Thank me again if you both make it out alive. I’ll wait for you where we first met.”

Luz turned and raced off into the woods, using the thin trail of smoke from the mansion’s chimney as a guide as she weaved her way through the trees. Luz didn’t know what she would do with herself if she didn’t save Amity on time. Despite her less than friendly attitude, Amity had helped her several times within the past few days. She didn’t know what she would do without her in the train. More than anything else, she dreaded the thought of being alone, with only her own thoughts as company.

_Hold on Amity, I’m on my way._

  
  


\---- ---- ----

  
  


Amity was not okay.

After slamming the door shut behind her, she collapsed inside the foyer of the mansion, completely exhausted. She was drenched in cold sweat and she caught her breath as she lay prone on the floor. Her heart rate slowed into a steady beat. The grim had almost caught her, but just as she reached the edge of the mansion property, it slammed into an invisible boundary, flying back several feet with a pained howl. Amity had scraped by with the skin of her teeth, and she felt lucky to be alive. She sat up from the floor, wiping the sweat from her forehead as she looked around. 

There was no one in sight, and all of the doors branching off to different parts of the mansion were closed, saved for the one that led into the dining room. She contemplated waiting in the foyer for Luz to show up, but decided to look around to see if she had somehow made it back before she did. She rose to her feet, stretching her arms above her head. Amity reached around her neck and pulled out the locket. It was smooth to the touch and heart shaped, with a small clasp on the left side. She cradled it in her fingers and her grip around it tightened.

_That stupid ghost better have answers._

She dropped the locket, letting it rest against her chest. Amity untied and retied her half pony-tail, walking over to the open door and glanced inside the dining room. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned on the flashlight, as the lights were still out. The room was empty, though oddly enough the newspaper Luz had found earlier on one of the chairs was now on the table. Amity quirked an eyebrow, in question but shrugged it off. 

_Maybe I misremembered where Luz left it._

Amity walked across the dining room and to the door on the other side. The door knob was on the floor, where Amity had dropped it earlier. It was cracked open and she peeked inside. She spotted the denizen, Jade, speaking in hushed tones with Benny. Amity leaned in closer to listen.

“I don’t understand why we just didn’t kill the brats when they first walked in,” Benny huffed, crossing his arms.

“Patience my friend,” Jade smiled devilishly. “It’s all about the thrill of the hunt, is it not? After we sent them to retrieve the locket, both should be tired, so killing them shouldn’t be any problem.”

“Yeah,” Benny grinned. “Though, I do hope the grim got to one of them. It’s always hilarious to see a passenger crying over the death of their companion.”

Amity’s eyes widened in horror. Bile rose to the back of her throat and she held back from throwing up the cup o’noodles she had wolfed down earlier. Luz wasn’t here, which was good, but she had to get the hell out of here and tell her of Jade and Benny’s true intentions. Before she moved to turn away, Benny leaned into Jade and was absorbed into her. Amity was bewildered.

_What the--_

A bright flash of light illuminated the room, and Jade’s appearance had substantially changed. Her skin was ghostly pale and her hair was longer, halfway down her back and dark brown in color. Jade’s clothes became tattered, spotted with faded bloodstains. Her eyes glowed sky blue, something Amity realized when Jade met her gaze. 

_Shit._

Amity slammed the door shut and raced off, heart pounding. Her ears thrummed and she had never felt more terrified in her entire life. She made it back into the main foyer and ran to the door leading outside. Amity grabbed the doorknob and twisted it violently, but it didn’t budge.

“It’s locked,” A warbled voice called out behind her. 

Amity, despite everything in her screaming at her not to, turned around.

Jade was standing a few steps away from Amity. She cocked her head.

“Where’s your friend, Amity?”

Amity shivered. She pocketed her phone, turning off the light. The blue moon shining down from above lit the room enough so that she could see. She wielded the fire poker in both hands, pointing it at the spirit before her. 

“Stay back,” Amity warned.

Jade chuckled, shaking her head in amusement.

“Or what?” Jade stepped forward. “Are you going to poke me?”

Amity didn’t say anything, choosing to remain silent. Her mind whirled as she tried to piece a plan together.

_The front door’s a no go. I’ll have to make it past her and break open the windows that lead to the backyard. Hopefully I can find Luz outside and we can make it out of here together._

“If you’re thinking about making it out of here alive, don’t bother. You wouldn’t be the first to try, and I always catch passengers unlucky enough to find themselves here.”

“So this locket doesn’t mean anything to you?” 

Amity held the locket in one hand, towards Jade. Jade’s lips pressed together.

“A personal artifact, but any sense of attachment I previously held for it vanished a long time ago,” She spat with barely concealed bitterness.

Amity raised an eyebrow. If she was going to get out of this hellish situation, she’d have to outsmart the ghost. She observed Jade’s worse for wear appearance.

“What happened to you?” Amity asked.

Jade’s face contorted, and loud peals of high-pitched laughter echoed through the foyer.

“I died,” Her eyes had a hard glint to them. “Because my sister envied that I was everything she could never be.”

_Sister?_

Amity thought back to the newspaper Luz had found, and how it had moved from the chair to the table. What had been the name of the victim? Then, everything clicked.

She was facing the spirit of Elizabeth Jade Renneker.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Elizabeth,” Amity said.

The ghost snorted.

“No you’re not. You just want to avoid certain death,” Jade grinned. “Rest assured, I’ll make it quick.”

Well, that wasn’t good. Amity decided to change tactics.

“I don’t understand,” She tentatively lowered the poker. “If your sister killed you, why would you stick around and kill innocent people who have nothing to do with you?”

“Life is unfair, and the afterlife, even more so. I’m stuck and cannot pass on to the next life. One grows quite bored after spending years alone, that’s why I created Benny. And if I didn’t get to live out the rest of my life, then anyone who crosses me shouldn’t get to either.”

An idea struck Amity. 

“I’m sure there’s a way for you to pass on, maybe I can---”

“Silence!” Jade yelled, eyes alight with unfiltered anger. 

A blast of air swept Amity off her feet and she slammed into the door with a thud. She tried to get to her feet, but the painful throbbing of her head inhibited her from doing so. She settled for crawling along the floor, towards the windows on the other side of the room. Soft footsteps padded towards her and a hard kick to her side made Amity gasp, her eyes watering.

“Foolish girl, I should’ve killed you and your friend when you first walked through the door,” She nudged Amity onto her back with her foot. “Though I must admit, it will be fun seeing the color fade from your eyes as I consume your essence, after crushing your hopes of escape.”

Amity tried to squirm away, but Jade knelt down and held her in place with a vice-like grip around her neck. Amity wheezed for air, clawing at the pale hands that slowly tightened around her.

“Resistance is futile,” Jade smiled. “Now then, off to sleep you go. Believe me, this process is far more painful if you remain awake.”

Amity eyes widened and she let out a strangled scream. 

Suddenly, the front door burst open, falling to the floor in two singed pieces. Luz, wielding the sword of the headless horseman, stepped through.

“There is no need to fear, for the mighty Luzura is here!” She proclaimed.

Amity wanted to kill her right then and there.

Jade looked up and visibly paled upon seeing the sword. Her grip on Amity loosened slightly. 

“Don’t come any closer if you want your friend alive by the end of the night,” She warned.

Luz noticed Amity sprawled on the floor with Jade’s fingers wrapped around her neck. Her expression darkened, nostrils flaring. She tightened her grip and pointed the sword at Jade.

“Let her go,” Luz growled.

Jade placed a finger to her lips in thought, the other hand still holding Amity down.

“Of course,” She smiled, eyes glowing brighter. “Right after I inhale her essence.”

Jade turned back and leaned back down to Amity, opening her mouth. As she did however, Amity was able to take advantage of her loosened grip and pull Jade’s fingers painfully back. The ghost wailed in pain, holding her hand to her chest. Amity kicked out a leg, sending Jade sprawling backwards and rose unsteadily to her feet. 

“That’s for almost murdering me,” Amity scowled.

Luz was shocked. She had seen Amity pull off some pretty cool things in the past two days, but this was completely badass. She let out a loud whoop.

“Way to go, Amity! You’re killing it queen!”

Amity rolled her eyes. Could Luz remain serious for longer than a minute? She doubted it.

“Not so fast,” Jade snarled. She rose to her feet, snapping her fingers back into place. 

Amity recoiled in disgust. She took a few steps back, picking up the fire poker where it had fallen to the floor. However, Jade’s attention was directed towards Luz.

“That little sword won’t help you if you can’t see me,” With a smirk, Jade vanished into thin air.

“Uh oh,” Luz gulped.

“Luz, stay right there!,” Amity reached out to her but winced as she felt her left shoulder throb with pain. 

Luz shook her head.

“No, you’re hurt. I’ll come to you,” Luz made as if to take a step forward but was swept back with a sudden gust of wind. “Woah!” Her back slammed against the door and she let out a grunt as she slid to the floor, eyes closing shut.

Amity gasped. A wave of adrenaline surged through her and she took off across the room and knelt down beside Luz. She rested a hand on her shoulder.

“Luz! Are you okay?”

Luz groaned. She cracked an eye open and tried to sit up.

“Why?” She managed a weak smile. “Going soft on me, Blight?”

Amity scoffed, shaking her head in exasperation.

“In your dreams,” She shoved Luz back, and the injured girl let out a hiss of pain. Amity’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Luz gasped. 

“As sickeningly sweet as this is to watch, I’m afraid your time is up.”

Amity and Luz looked up, seeing Jade hovering five feet in the air, embroiled in blue flames. Amity helped Luz to her feet, and Luz scooped up the sword where it had fallen to the ground. 

With a wave of her hands, Jade unleashed a torrent of flames towards them. Amity shielded her face with her arms, preparing for the onslaught of heat that was sure to follow. Yet, it never came. She opened her eyes and Luz was standing in front of her, wielding the flaming red sword as if she had just sliced it through Jade’s attack (she had). Amity gaped. As the blue flames dissipated, Jade was nowhere to be found.

“Let’s get out of here,” Luz voice trembling, still shaken from almost dying (again).

Amity nodded and moved towards the door, but as she did, she was once again swept off her feet with another gust of wind. She flew back against the wall adjacent to the door. She was dragged upward, about five feet up. Amity felt invisible hands wrap around her throat and gasped for air.

_Not again._

She heard Luz cry out her name through distorted hearing. Spots flickered in her eyes. She was losing consciousness fast. As everything began to fade to black, she felt an icy cold essence enter her body through her nose and mouth.

_That’s… not… good._

Amity’s body dropped to the ground with a loud thud that echoed through the room. 

“No!” Luz cried out. 

Luz raced over to Amity’s prone form and knelt down beside her, sword still clutched in her hand. She raised two fingers and pressed them to her neck, feeling for a pulse. After a moment, she felt it. It was faint, but it was still there. Suddenly, Amity’s eyes flickered open.

“Amity!” Luz smiled tearfully. “You’re okay.”

“I am not Amity,” A sinister voice rasped from Amity’s lips. “Your friend is gone.”

Luz fell backwards in shock. She held the sword defensively in front of her as Amity-- no, not Amity-- rose to her feet. Her eye color had changed from warm amber to light blue. Her body was bathed in an ethereal glow, the moonlight enhancing her features, making them sharper.

“No,” Luz whispered. 

She felt hot tears stream down her cheeks. Her heart broke into two.

“Face it passenger,” The disembodied voice drawled. “You have failed to save your friend, and couldn’t even manage to save yourself. How pathetic.”

Luz screamed, rising to her feet in blind rage, and charged at the ghoul who had possessed Amity. The ghoul tried to jump out of the way, but Luz was faster. The flaming red sword pierced Amity’s stomach, exiting the other side of her body. The ghoul was rejected from Amity’s body, flying back and dissolving into the air with a piercing shriek.

Amity’s body collapsed to the ground, but not before Luz was able to reach out and break her fall. Luz fell to her knees, cradling Amity’s head in her lap. The girl was unresponsive, and breathed shallowly. Luz felt tears fall, tasting them on her lips and watched as they landed on Amity’s face. Luz pressed her hands to her face as sobs wracked her body. 

“Please wake up,” Luz’s breathing hitched. “I just don’t want to be alone anymore. I promise I’ll listen to you more from now on… I’m so sorry.”

After a few moments of agonizing silence, a soft hand reached up and pulled Luz’s hands away from her face.

“I’m okay,” Amity murmured, voice shaky. 

Luz threw her arms around Amity and hugged her. Amity tensed, both at the sudden contact but also at the surge of pain that came with it. 

“Please… stop,” She wheezed.

Luz recoiled, hands held up apologetically.

“My bad!” Luz rubbed the back of her neck. “I was just happy to see you’re awake.”

“Yeah, I could tell,” Amity sat up with a hiss, her entire body ached. “Let’s just get the hell out of here before either of us nearly die again.”

Luz nodded and helped Amity to her feet. Both made sure they hadn’t lost any of the belongings from their backpacks and supported each other as they made for the broken front door. A thought occurred to Amity now that she had time to breathe.

“Wait, how did you get the sword?”

“The headless horseman gave it to me!” Luz grinned. “Turns out he was an ally all along. And, I think he knows how we can get out of this car!”

“Just our luck,” Amity grumbled. “We run away from help straight into danger. This entire incident could’ve been avoided if I hadn’t dragged us to the mansion.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” Luz met Amity’s eyes. “Neither of us knew what to expect in this car. And to be fair, him chasing us down wasn’t exactly the best first impression.”

Amity hummed in response, but didn’t say anything else.

Bruised and battered, they exited the mansion, making their way towards the headless horseman that awaited them at the edge of the clearing. Jack’s flames glowed brightly at them as they approached.

“You’re alive!” He waved them over. “Come now, climb on. We have a long way to go to the exit door, and neither of you look in good enough shape to walk.”

Luz was the first to mount the large horse, sitting behind Jack. Amity was a bit more dubious. Luz offered her a hand, and after a moment of hesitation, Amity took it. Luz helped pull her onto the horse, right behind her. 

“You might want to hold onto something,” Jack called out.

Luz nodded, grasping the back of Jack’s coat firmly with both hands. Amity tentatively did the same with Luz’s thin jacket. With a frown, Luz reached behind her and placed Amity’s hands around her waist. 

“C’mon now, you don’t want to fall off do you?”

Amity didn’t answer her. She just leaned into Luz, too bone-tired to care. 

“Wake me up when we get there,” She murmured.

Luz tensed as Amity’s warm breath ghosted the back of her neck. She moved one hand to hold onto Jack and let the other settle on Amity’s hands wrapped around her.

“Will do.”

Jack flicked the reins and the charcoal black horse neighed, taking off into the woods. 

High above them, the blue moon loomed larger than life, casting an effervescent light against the dark shadows of the night.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/godless_glasses), [tumblr](https://lexa-alycia.tumblr.com), [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/godless.glasses/)


	10. Growing Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edric and Emira find trouble. 
> 
> Luz and Amity fall into an argument.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPT! PLEASE READ!  
> Art of Willow, Gus and Luz was added to the end of chapter 6, check it out!
> 
> Luz and Amity art by [@alexdesign12e](https://twitter.com/alexdesign12e). Edric and Emira art by [@shadowspd](https://www.instagram.com/shadowspd/)
> 
> Thank you so much for 4000+ hits!!!! Hope y'all enjoy the chap! And let me know if you have any ideas for future train cars. I may or may not do one more from the show, but the rest I've planned for the story are original ideas.
> 
> A/N: Some dialogue in the chapter was borrowed from S1 EP 6 and S2 EP 2 of Infinity Train.

Emira was at her wit’s end. At this point, she wanted to pull her hair out.

It had been just over a week since she and Edric had boarded the train-- big mistake by the way-- and things were not going well. 

At all.

Nearly every train car they had come across had resulted in a near death experience, where they had to rely on their quick thinking and, more often than not, sheer luck just to make it out alive. To make matters worse, they had yet to find any clues of Amity being on the train. Coupled with the fact that neither of their numbers had decreased, Emira felt that everything that they had been through in the past several days was for nothing. 

And then there was Edric.

As much as she loved her brother, spending every single moment of each day with him, without anyone else around, was beginning to grate on her nerves. At school, she had her friends and at home, Mittens was there to act as a buffer. But here in the train, it was just them. And, under normal circumstances, Emira would be fine. They got along pretty well, and had similar senses of humor to boot. 

But these were far from normal circumstances, and every time Edric got himself into trouble, she had to be the one to pull him out of it.

Like right now.

“I told you that was a bad idea!” Emira scolded Edric, jabbing him in the chest with her finger. 

“How was I supposed to know that would happen?” Edric protested. 

“Look, I didn’t expect it either but it’s common sense to not treat royalty with such disrespect!” Emira massaged her temple. “It’s no wonder we were both chased out after you ridiculed King Atticus in front of his court, especially since you refused to apologize!”

“It’s not my fault the Corginians can’t take a joke!” Edric crossed his arms and huffed.

Emira groaned. Her brother could be so obnoxious sometimes.

“Well you’re lucky I was paying attention to where the exit door was during their introduction to the train car, otherwise we’d both be dog food right now.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Edric rolled his eyes.

The Blight siblings crossed the bridge to the next car and Emira opened the door. They stepped inside onto a large grassy field. Puffy white clouds dotted the sky and grey mountains could be seen far in the distance. Edric and Emira started making their way through the car and at the top of a hill, they found the center of the train car in a valley below them. 

Emira had no idea what to make of their surroundings. Next to them was a dark blue telephone booth half submerged into the ground. There were buildings spread haphazardly, most looked incomplete, missing entire parts that would normally be fundamental to their structure. There was a large library missing its roof, an arched staircase leading to nowhere, and unfinished houses with missing pieces of walls and roofs. Some things were completely misplaced, like a yellow fire hydrant sticking out of a chimney.

Ed was walking a little ahead of Em when he was swept off his feet and landed on an upside down staircase. He stretched out his hands to regain his balance and gave Em a goofy grin.

“Woah! Is this an anti-gravity car?”

Emira’s eyebrows furrowed, taking in the car around them with a hum. Usually, the theme of the train cars they passed through were pretty obvious, but this one seemed… incomplete. She watched as Edric managed to get down from the staircase and shrugged.

“I have no idea.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed three turtle denizens approaching. Two look like guards, standing tall on their hind legs, outfitted with a large spoon and spork respectively as their weapons. Unlike the guards, the turtle in the middle walked on all four legs, and wore a red and grey crown. He had thick rimmed glasses and bushy eyebrows. Emira gave her brother a sideways glance.

_Great, more royalty for Edric to offend._

Emira and Edric watched as the turtles slowly approached them. Neither sibling was sure what to make of these denizens. They had just been introduced to talking animals back in Corginia, so it was still jarring to meet animal denizens that could speak.

“Uh… Gravity turtle car?” Edric cocked his head in confusion.

“Announcing his excellency, please extend your necks in adoration,” The guard wielding the spoon spoke, tapping his weapon on the ground ceremoniously.

Both guards hummed as they extended their necks, eyes closing contentedly. Edric snorted.

Not wanting a repeat of the last car, Emira elbowed her brother and both passengers extended their necks towards the turtles, as foolish as they felt. The turtle wearing a crown bobbed his head in acknowledgement and spoke in a deep warbly voice.

“I am Emperor Aloysius III, unifier of the hard and soft shelled.”  
  


“Tacos?” Edric asked.

Emira facepalmed.

“Turtles,” Aloysius corrected. “So, who will be announcing whom?”

Emira jumped in before Edric could embarrass them further.

“I’m Emira, and this is Edric. We’re just looking for the exit door.”

“What’s the rush?” Ed turned to face her with a mischievous grin. “This car seems pretty cool.”

Normally, Emira wouldn’t hesitate to join Edric in making some trouble. But on the train, trouble always seemed to find them first, so Emira wanted to make it through each car as quickly as possible to avoid anything dangerous.

“It is customary for my guards and I to show passengers around our car,” Aloysius interjected. “We’ll take you to the exit door and once you know where it is you can either leave immediately or stay however long you’d like.”

Emira managed a smile.

“Thank you, that sounds perfect.”

Aloysius nodded and turned around. The siblings followed him into town, the emperor’s guards trailing a few steps behind them. Thankfully, the denizens didn’t move too slowly. Even so, Ed and Em had to decrease their pace so as to not bypass the emperor. The town was a lot more weird than Emira had initially thought as she passed by other denizens on the street. Inside one of the apartment buildings, Emira saw a turtle taking a bubble bath on the ceiling. 

And as they approached the center of the train car, she couldn’t help but feel perplexed at how the car was designed. It was unlike any car Emira had ever seen before. There was a half finished archway that read _Where Great Minds,_ with a turtle statue wearing a graduation cap, glasses, and a tie planted at the base. There was also an enormous graduation cap suspended from the air, tan in color. Two stone pillars were suspended parallel to the ground from a nearby building. Edric’s voice rang out next to her, startling her from her thoughts.

“Gravity-turtle-college car?”

Emira hummed, contemplating for a moment, and then shrugged. 

The group continued down the street they were on until they reached the intersection. There was a huge puddle of purple goo covering the entire intersection. A turtle jumped and slid from one side of the street to the other, as if it was perfectly normal to do so. On Em’s left, Aloysius began spouting details about the car.

“Our all natural jam pond is both delicious and perfect for travelling quickly.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Emira noticed Ed perk up in interest and rolled her eyes.

_Ugh, he either wants to eat the jam or slide across it… probably both actually._

Aloysius continued past the jam pond, the twins walking with him. They arrived at an academic building with uneven stone pillars placed along the front. Yellow caution tape was wrapped around the pillars, criss crossing over the entrance where a red exit door could be seen further inside. There was a clock framed by two sea turtles engraved in the facade that hung above the entrance. Aloysius faced Edric and Emira with a kindly smile on his face.

“I believe this is the door you’re looking for.” 

Edric and Emira nodded.

“Thanks for the help, Your Highness,” Emira smiled.

Edric tapped her on the shoulder.

“Can we stay for awhile? I want to explore more.”

Emira pressed her lips together, remembering the last time Edric had suggested something similar and frowned.

“No.”

“Oh c’mon!” He whined. “Unlike other cars, there’s nothing outright dangerous about this one.”

“Your brother has a point,” Aloysius added. “This car has been peaceful for years now. My people have adapted to the environment extremely well, and don’t mind passengers at all.”

Edric gave Emira his best set of puppy dog eyes. They didn’t fool her, she had long ago become immune to his ways of persuasion. But if this car was safe, it wouldn’t hurt to rest for a while, especially since she had no idea when they would be able to again. Emira sighed and Edric let out a victory whoop, knowing he had won.

“Ugh fine! Since we know where the door is, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to stay for a little bit.”

“Sweet!” Edric grinned.

“Meet me back here in-”

Emira’s voice died as her brother ignored her words and sped off down the street, likely to go try out the jam pond. She pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation.

“Why is he like this?!” She huffed.

Aloysius offered to show Emira the rest of the town and she readily agreed, not wanting to explore the car on her own. She was hesitant, thinking that something bad one would happen to her like it had in every car previous. 

Aloysius led Emira down the street and explained the mail delivery system of the car. It was built around holes in the ground. Aloysius was proud to tell her that it was very fast and every denizen always received something. Emira raised an eyebrow as she peered down the gaping hole in front of her. The wasteland could be seen speeding by at the bottom, and when a mail carrier came by and dropped letters into the hole, the wind from the outside the train pushed the letters into the air, sending them scattering in different directions to houses nearby.

They continued on and Emira finally decided to ask Aloysius about the houses. She wasn’t sure how the denizens could live comfortably with entire walls missing from their homes.

“What about the open walls?”

“You mean the open plan?” Aloysius rubbed his chin. “Do your houses have four walls? How do you get fresh air? Or dry your clothes?”  
  
“Uh…” Emira wasn’t sure what to say to that.

“This is just how it is,” Aloysius assured her. “You’re not the first passenger to question our lifestyle. My subjects are incredibly content with what we have been provided from the train.”

Emira hummed, thinking over what Aloysius had said carefully. Just because it was a lot different than what she was used to back home didn’t mean it was necessarily bad. She nodded and followed the emperor as he directed her to the royal archives.

\---- ---- ----

“Y’know, we’ve ridden a french toast steamboat over a maple syrup river, and compared to that, this car is almost normal.”

“Don’t jinx us,” Amity glanced at Luz with a raised brow. “You seem to have a bad habit of doing just that.”

“Nu-uh!” Luz protested. “Ever since the headless horseman helped us three days ago, the train cars we’ve passed through have been perfectly fine.”

“I fail to see how the Ancient Temple car was “perfectly fine”, considering we almost got flattened by a rolling boulder, but whatever helps you sleep at night,” Amity muttered. 

“Well, at least we got new clothes in the Mall Car!” Luz grinned, tugging on her black t-shirt.

Amity shrugged. She couldn’t argue with her there. Amity’s t-shirt and pants had suffered through several tears and stains. The rip Luz had made with her sword made her old shirt almost unsalvageable. Now she had a brand new white t-shirt with the words _Los Angeles_ printed on the front and black pants. Luz was thrilled when she learned that they were from the same city and had bombarded her with questions. Amity managed to dodge most of them, feeling uncomfortable sharing her personal information with someone she barely knew. 

Luz on the other hand didn’t hesitate to tell her all about where she lived, what high school she went to this past year, and what she did for fun on the weekends with her mamá. Amity tensed when she realized that Luz was planning on transferring to her own high school after summer. She didn’t think she would ever see her again after getting off the train. Amity decided not to bring it up, knowing that Luz wouldn’t leave her alone once she eventually found out. Luz could be too much to handle sometimes, a fact Amity was still coming to terms with. 

Yet, as much as Amity hated to admit it, Luz’s presence was slowly growing more tolerable as the days passed and Amity became more accustomed to her goofy nature and silly jokes. Amity had started to develop a grudging respect for Luz ever since she had saved her life back in the haunted mansion. While she still found her endless chatter annoying most of the time, Luz had shown her that she wasn’t as completely useless as she’d initially thought when they first met back in the Colosseum Car. 

Amity and Luz continued walking through the train car, their shoes kicking up the fallen leaves that scattered the ground of what Luz had nicknamed the Autumn Car. There were trees in every direction with vibrant red, orange, and yellow leaves. While the sky was shrouded by dense foliage, everything was doused in a golden glow. So far, they hadn’t run into anything or anyone, and Amity was grateful for the brief respite. She was tired of having to escape back to back life-or-death situations. Hopefully, this car would signal a change of pace in her tumultuous journey through the train thus far.

Amity stopped Luz with a hand on her shoulder as she noticed a deer about twenty yards in front of them. Luz glanced at her in confusion and squeaked when she noticed the animal chewing on leaves a little ways away. The deer must have heard them since it looked up and stared at them. Strangely enough, it began walking towards them rather than leave, which is what deer usually did when Amity ran into them while hiking back in Los Angeles.

“Oooh!” Luz rubbed her hands together. “I’ve never pet a deer before.”

Amity slapped her hands and Luz yelped.

“And let’s keep it that way. We don’t know if it’s safe, so don’t even try.”

“Buzzkill,” Luz harrumphed, crossing her arms and looking away as the deer approached.

Amity rolled her eyes. This wasn’t the first time she had tried to talk some sense into her companion. Each time Luz took as well as she had the first time, that is to say, not well. 

The deer stopped a few feet away from the passengers and stared blankly at them for several seconds.

“Well, this is awkward,” Luz said.

Amity scoffed and shouldered her backpack. 

“Let’s go, it seems like this is just a normal deer.”

Luz followed Amity as she walked around the deer, giving it a large berth just in case. After a few minutes of walking, Amity tripped and fell onto the ground with a yelp. Luz suppressed a giggle, this was the first time she’d seen Amity do anything remotely clumsy. Luz offered her a hand with a teasing grin.

“Need help?” Her eyes twinkled in amusement.

“No,” Amity replied gruffly, she rose to her feet, dusting herself off. 

Amity’s eyes widened when she noticed the deer right behind her. Its antlers were pointed down, it had been the one to trip her.

“It was the deer!” She pointed a finger accusingly at the animal.

Luz looked to her left and jumped when she realized the deer was right next to her.

“It followed us!” Luz smiled. “Maybe it wants to be our friend.”

“As sweet as that sounds,” Amity replied with an edge of sarcasm. “It’s probably just curious. It’ll go away soon enough.”

Luz shook her head.

“No, it definitely tripped you for a reason!” Luz smirked. “Maybe it’s a sign from the train letting you know you need to be nicer.”

“Shut up,” Amity scowled.

Luz continued, unconcerned by Amity’s thinning patience.

“I’m going to name him Alan Dracula!”

Amity was bewildered, her eyebrows scrunched together as she tried to process where the hell Luz had pulled that horrible name from.

“You’re kidding, right?” Amity knew she wasn’t, but it didn’t hurt to double check,

“Nope!” Luz clapped her hands together. “It’s the perfect name for the perfect deer.”

Amity sighed, knowing that if she continued engaging in Luz’s nonsensical banter she would slowly lose her mind. 

“Whatever, let’s just keep going.”

Luz and Amity turned back around to move forward, but suddenly they were swept off their feet. Both let out startled gasps as they were raised 10 feet in the air, hanging on by their backpack straps.

“What’s going on?” Luz yelped.

Amity craned her head around to see what had captured them. Seeing Amity turn her head to look behind her, Luz did the same. 

It was the damn deer.

Only it had now grown several sizes larger and had no problem holding them suspended in the air from its antlers.

“Oh dear.”

Amity wished she could reach over and flick Luz on the forehead.

“I thought I told you to stop it with the puns.”

“That wasn’t--” Luz paused. “Oh, yeah I guess it was.”

The deer, which Amity refused to refer to as Alan Dracula because it was a stupid name, swung the passengers side to side. Amity was the first to slip from her backpack straps and hit the ground with a grunt, rolling a bit as she landed to absorb the impact. Luz followed shortly after her, managing a roll as well to avoid injuring herself. They looked back to the deer who was now holding their backpacks dangling from its antlers. The deer backpedaled away from them and immediately fell through the ground, through a hole that had been hidden with leaves.

“Alan Dracula!” Luz scrambled to her feet and rushed over to the hole.

Amity followed her and knelt down beside her at the edge of the opening in the ground. Her eyes widened, and Luz opened her mouth to voice the same realization she’d just come to.

“Oh my god, we’re on top of a tree!”

Below them was a towering tree trunk, the bottom of which couldn’t even be seen. Amity looked up at Luz with a determined expression.

“We have to go after him.”

“What?!” Luz looked from the hole to Amity with a horrified look on her face. “I know you’re the one who usually says this to me, but are you crazy?”

“I’m going to get my backpack back,” Amity paused. “It has… something important to me inside. You don’t have to follow me. Wait here and I’ll be back as soon as I can.” 

Without waiting for a response, Amity jumped into the hole.

Luz looked around. Only the faint chirps of bugs could be heard. She swallowed nervously, debating her options. She could wait around for Amity, she was sure that she’d have no problem getting their stuff back. But she also loathed being by herself on the train. She didn’t have the best memories associated with the time she’d spent on her own. So, not wanting to be left behind, and thinking about the Azura book inside her own bag, she jumped.

Luz slid down the base of the tree trunk and landed on a thick branch, a few steps behind Amity. In front of Amity was another branch, but this one had two faces with name plates accompanying them engraved into the wood. Sinesta Gillicuty was wearing a bonnet, and the other denizen was a man with a thick beard named Wilbur Gillicuty.

“Why hello there,” Sinesta smiled. “Who might you and your green-haired friend be?” 

“Hi I’m Luz,” She waved in greeting.

Wilbur and Sinesta turned to Amity, who didn’t say anything.

“Well?” Wilbur prompted.

“Amity,” She sighed. “Have you seen a deer fall through here?”

“Can’t say that I have, but it’s lovely to meet you. I’m Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandpa Gillicuty.”

Amity raised an eyebrow in disbelief as Sinesta cut in.

“And you can call me G.G.G.G.G.G.G.S. for short. You’re standing on the Gillicuty family tree!”

Luz and Amity jumped as a loud voice from across the tree branch interjected.

“This is the Trundleshank family tree!” Ithmus Trundleshank spat. He wore a scowl with a straw hat tilted off to the side on his head.

“The Trundleshanks are upset because one of our descendants married one of theirs around a hundred years ago, and now they have to live in our family tree,” Sinesta explained.

Luz hummed in thought, absorbing the new information.

“Maybe one of the Trundleshanks have seen the deer,” She suggested.

Amity nodded in agreement, and began walking over to Ithmus when a flurry of branches sprouted in front of her. She jumped back to avoid getting her eyes scratched out.

“Oh no you dont!” Wilbur exclaimed. “As long as you’re on our tree, you’re not allowed to talk to any Trundleshanks!”

Amity scowled. She hated her life being dictated by her parents, and it was even worse to have complete strangers try to tell her what to do.

“I can talk to whoever I want!” She bit back in irritation.

“Hey, I know!” Luz raised her hands placatingly. “You could name the tree after both of your families.” 

“No way!” Ithmus protested.

“Not happening!” Wilbur shouted.

“Fine!” Amity rolled her eyes. “I don’t need your help anyway.”

Amity kicked down the branches that had sprouted up and jumped down to another branch. Luz looked nervously between the Ithmus and the Gillicutys before racing off after her.

“Amity, you shouldn’t have left on such a rude note!” Luz hopped to another branch. “Now they’re upset at us.”

“They were being completely ridiculous!” Amity protested.

“Yeah, but maybe they can help us! If we could get them to stop fighting--”

“They’ve been fighting for a hundred years,” Amity scoffed. 

“Well I think I could help!” Luz smiled. “My mamá says I’m very persistent.”

“What a gift,” Amity muttered under her breath, knowing just how true that statement was.

Amity slid down a large branch and Luz followed close behind. Luz frowned as she chewed on Amity’s words and her reaction to the denizens.

“Why are you being so mean, Amity?” Luz asked. “...Did I do something to offend you?”

Amity froze. She turned and faced Luz with a guarded expression on her face.

“It has nothing to do with you.”

Luz didn’t believe Amity. Back home, people always were always quick to provide reasons as to why they didn’t like her. She didn’t understand why Amity would be any different. She wanted to find out what was wrong and fix whatever she’d done so that she could befriend her. Yet, Luz decided not to press Amity about her misgivings and opted for a different approach.

“Look, I know we got off to a rough start and that we haven’t known each other for a long time, but I think it would be helpful if you were a bit more friendly to the denizens we run into,” Luz paused. “And would it kill you to be nicer to me too?”

Unbeknownst to the passengers, small branches started creeping upward around them.

Amity felt a headache coming on. All she wanted to do was get her backpack back, and here was Luz pestering her by continually questioning every decision she’d made. She rubbed a hand over her face and huffed.

“Ugh, the deer made better company than you. At least he didn’t tell me how I should act,” Amity stalked over to Luz and poked her in the chest. “All you ever seem to do is annoy me.”

Luz scowled. The branches around them grew taller and more thick.

“If you want to get to the deer so badly, we should talk to the families and help them!”

The bottom of Luz and Amity’s shoes creaked as they slowly began to turn into wood.

“If that’s what you think will help, go right ahead!” Amity turned around and tried to make her way through the branches that had sprouted in her path. “I never asked you to follow me, so just leave me alone.”

“Okay, fine. I will,” Luz looked down dejectedly, until a determined expression crossed her face. “Watch. I’ll form a truce, and it’ll be a piece of cake.”

Amity turned again and looked over her shoulder as Luz walked away to talk to a pair of Trundleshanks. She rolled her eyes and went back to prying apart branches to clear the way down the tree. The branches that had started to creep up on them receded.

Luz approached the Trundleshank brothers eager to prove Amity wrong and help the families reconcile. She was caught off guard when one of them started a conversation with her first.

“Way to go! The whole tree is talking you up, way to stick it to those horrible Gillicuttys,” Seth Trundleshank grinned.

“Woah, woah, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I wasn’t trying to start anything,” Luz smiled. “I’m just looking for a deer. He’s a deer. He’s about… deer height.”

“Tell me about the look on Wilbur’s face when you said you hated the Gillicuttys!” Seth insisted.

“What? I didn’t say that!” Luz paused for a moment before slamming a fist into an open palm. “You know what? I bet you have a lot more in common with them than you think! Y’know, in elementary school we learned the golden rule: treat others how you want to be treated. I think if you--”

“Is it true you laughed in his face?” Richard Trundleshank interjected.

Luz stuttered, caught off guard.

“N- No!”

Meanwhile, Amity continued down the tree. She jumped from branch to branch and jogged over to a large clump of branches and began ripping them apart to get through.

“Hi there! Going down the tree?” Mariella Gillicutty asked from a few feet away.

“Yup,” Amity grunted as she continued removing the branches out of her way.

“Don’t talk to her kid!” Nathaniel Trundleshank chimed in from another branch. “She’s as dumb as they come!”

“Can it ding-dong!”

“That’s a riot, coming from someone who died choking on an orange peel!” Nathaniel cackled.

Mariella huffed in annoyance.

“I told you, it’s the most fibrous part of the fruit!” Branches sprouted around Mariella. “At least I didn’t die like you did, getting stuck on a toilet seat.”

Amity’s eye twitched. She plastered on a thin smile and turned around.

“Have either of you seen a deer?”

“Nope!” 

“Nu-uh!” 

“Great, I expected as much,” Amity turned back to the path, now clear of branches. “Sorry you both died in such humiliating ways.” She muttered under her breath as she slid down the branch.

Elsewhere on the tree, Luz was playing mediator between the Trundleshank triplets and the Gillicuttys, having moved on from the Trundleshank brothers after making no progress.

“Huh,” Luz rubbed her chin. “So Mr. and Mrs. Gillicutty are upset because you Trundleshank triplets teepeed their house with toilet paper every morning. Do you think you could apologize to them?”

One of the triplets, Delilah, scoffed and shook her head.

“No way! They never invited us to any of their kids’ birthday parties, even though we were friends with them.”

Luz frowned and turned to the Gillicuttys. Memories of her own childhood as a social pariah rose to the forefront of her mind but she forced them back down to focus on the task at hand.

“She has a point y’know, that can be tough for a kid.”

“We couldn’t afford to feed every kid in town!” Leona Gillicutty protested.

Luz nodded in acquiescence.

“Yeah, I hear you. Things can end up being really expensive.”

“We were the only kids that weren’t invited!” Another triplet, Maude, protested.

“Yeah!” Deanne, the last of the triplets, chimed in.

“Well, you shouldn’t exclude people either,” Luz agreed.

“Whose side are you on?” Wilbur asked, befuddled by Luz bouncing back and forth between both families in an effort to appease everyone.

“None of us are helping you get down the tree until you pick a side!” Delilah said.

“Uh, I--” Luz hesitated. “This isn’t about me! I’m trying to help you!”

“Choose!” Leone exclaimed.

“Why don’t we go back to the golden rule?” Luz laughed nervously. “Remember, it’s--”

“Get off our branch!” Maude scowled.

The slim branch Luz was standing on between both families shook wildly, flinging her off and sending her flying through the air.

“Woah!!” Luz landed on her back, on a thick branch by Amity. “Oof!”

Amity noticed her arrival and rolled her eyes.

“Lovely. You’re back.”

Luz rubbed her sore butt, wincing at the bruise that was forming by her backside. She met Amity’s eyes tentatively.

“Oh. Hi.”

“How did your mediating go?” Amity sneered. “Not too well, if you ended up here.”

“Well, it didn’t work out as I’d hoped but,” Luz’s eyes narrowed. “Looks like beating up branches isn’t getting you very far either.”

Amity braced a hand against the branches in front of her and turned back to Luz.

“Look, if I had gotten down here sooner, the branches wouldn’t probably be this bad. But I was delayed, no thanks to you.”

The branches surrounding them began to grow, creeping towards them.

“You don’t know that!” Luz protested.

“Yeah, well you don’t know anything and can’t help anyone!” Amity jabbed a finger at her as she walked up to Luz. “Not even yourself.”

The branches curled upwards towards the duo, leaves sprouting along the ends.

“That’s why passengers get on the train in the first place!” Amity pushed Luz on the shoulder. 

Luz stumbled on her feet and managed to catch her balance before falling.

“Hey, don’t--”

Luz was cut off as she and Amity were swept off their feet. Branches lifted them in the air, leaving them suspended with their arms and legs in uncomfortable positions. Luz’s face contorted into one of frustration.

“Great! Now the tree’s going to eat us!” Luz gesticulated wildly with her hands, as restricted as her movement was. “Why are you acting like I’m--”

Amity looked up from where the branches had ensnared her feet and gasped. Luz’s hands were turning into wood. 

“Luz!”

“No,” Luz shook her head. “Don’t interrupt me, it’s my turn to speak now.”

“No Luz!” Amity’s face turned to one of genuine concern. “Your hands!” 

Luz looked down and noticed her hands were now blocks of wood. The wood was slowly spreading across her skin, and up her arms. Her eyes widened in shock.

“Gah!” She shook her hands. “It’s changing me!”

Amity’s hands were also turning into the wood. Thin branches snapped out at both of them, curling around their arms and trapping them further.

“Help!” Luz shrieked.

Amity grunted as she pulled as hard as she could and snapped one of the limbs that had wrapped around her left arm. But it was useless, more limbs reached out and replaced any that she managed to break. Wood traveled up her legs, reaching her knees. Amity looked to Luz to see if she was faring any better.

She wasn’t.

“Aw geez, I don’t want to be made out of wood,” Luz slumped, eyes downcast. “Everyone at school will call me Pinocchio. Now I’ve given them something else to make fun of me for.”

“They won’t call you that,” Amity paused. “Okay, they’ll probably call you that, if you ever make it off the train that is.”

“Don’t say that!” Luz’s voice was strained.

Amity sighed, feeling a bit bad about bringing attention to their less than ideal situation.

“Sorry.”

Amity blinked as the branches around herself and Luz loosened.

“It’s okay,” Luz muttered, head still down.

“Wait,” Amity tried to reach out to Luz. “They moved a little.”

“You don’t have to lie to me.”

“Luz, I’m not.”

“When I become a tree,” Luz continued, eyes closed. “I want you to move on with your life.”

The branches around them began to retreat further.

“Find the deer and go!” Her hands turned back into normal. “Be happy,” She flashed a double peace sign.

Amity was dumbfounded. The branches around her were loosening all the way.

“Please know that I won’t blame you, if you’re able to find a way out of this without me,” The branches around Luz disappeared entirely, leaving her seated on the ground. Their hands, arms and legs turned back to normal too.

Amity stood up, now free from the grip of the branches, and walked over to her companion. Luz’s eyes were still closed and she continued her melodramatic monologue.

“Maybe this was meant to be,” Luz sighed. “Maybe I was fated to be a tree.”

Amity crouched down and flicked Luz on the forehead.

“Ow!” Luz opened her eyes and glared at Amity. “Why did you--” She stopped as she realized they were no longer trapped by the tree branches. Her brows furrowed. 

“What happened?” She looked up at Amity, who was standing with her hands on her hips.

“I kept my eyes open during the scary parts,” Amity replied.

Luz wrapped her arms around herself in relief.

“Oh normal body parts, how I’ve missed you!”

Amity knelt down and placed a hand on the wood between herself and Luz.

“You’re a horrible tree.”

A branch sprouted from the spot she was looking at.

“Hey! Don’t say that!” Luz protested. “I’m sure the tree is doing its best.”

Amity leaned down closer to the wood.

“Just kidding, you’re a beautiful tree.”

The tree limb shrank, disappearing back into the wood of the larger branch they were situated on. Amity grinned as she looked up at Luz.

“That’s it! Fighting makes the branches grow.”

She stood up and walked over to a cluster of branches blocking their path to make it to the base of the tree. Amity cleared her throat and turned to Luz.

“Luz, would you like to accompany me down this noble tree?”

“Oh- uh,” Luz was caught off guard. “I’d love to.” She smiled and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

The branches in front of Amity began shrinking down.

“Good, keep going,” Amity whispered, encouraging Luz.

Luz stood up and walked over to Amity, clearing her throat.

“Thank you very much for your generous offer,” She bowed dramatically.

Amity smiled, thrilled that she’d figured out how the tree worked. Luz and Amity made their way down the tree, with branches moving aside so they could get through, making pleasant conversation and exchanging compliments.

“Lovely day, isn’t it?” Luz beamed.

“Yes, indeed,” Amity agreed.

“I like your hair,” Luz said. “It looks really cool, I’ve never seen anything quite like it before.”

“And I like your hair,” Amity looked over her shoulder. “It’s… brown. How original.”

Luz ducked under a low-hanging branch and spun on her feet, facing her companion.

“Shall I sing us a song?” She wiggled her eyebrows playfully, knowing Amity couldn’t refuse.

“I would absolutely love it,” Amity deadpanned.

\---- ---- ----

Edric made a beeline back to the jam pond. He was curious to see if he could slide across the street like the denizens, and if he was being honest he wondered what it would taste like. He reached the intersection with no issue, and knelt down by the edge of the pond to dip a finger in it. He scooped up a portion and lifted it to his mouth, tasting it tentatively. His eyes widened.

_Woah! This tastes great!_

Edric cupped his hand to scoop another portion, as his hand entered deeper into the jam, he felt something hard and smooth beneath the surface. Interest piqued, Edric used both hands to move the jam aside to see what was hidden underneath. There, embedded into the road in a circular hole, was a blue orb the size of his head. Raising an eyebrow, Edric picked it up, only to drop it when the purple jam around him became discolored, a muted grey.

_What the-?_

He placed the orb pack into the hole where he’d found it and the jam turned back to normal. His eyes narrowed.

_Are these orbs what make the train car work?_

Edric looked around, looking for anything that might help him clear away the jam so he could find more of the orbs. He noticed a broom lying outside the door of a storefront and jogged over to it, grasping it firmly in his hands as returned to the jam pond. Chores were never really his thing, but finding out how the train worked opened up a realm of possibilities for him. A lot of fun and mischief could be had, and he was sure Emira would be interested too, even if she’d been a stick in the mud as of late. 

Edric wiped his hands on his pants to clean them, noting the glowing green number on his right palm. It was 188, while Emira’s was 189. It had yet to change in all the time they’d spent on the train, and he wasn’t sure why.

Edric began sweeping, starting from the edge of the jam pond and making his way in the middle. As he worked, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye wriggling around in the pond. He knelt down and his eyes widened when he realized it was a small green denizen. It kind of looked like a worm. He reached out a hand to touch it.

“Hey there friend!” The denizen spoke.

Edric yelped and fell back on his butt. The denizen chuckled.

“No need to be so jumpy,” The denizen moved closer to him. “My name is Perry, and you are?”

“Edric,” He sat up and examined the denizen carefully. “You’re not a turtle, what are you doing here in this car?”

Perry shrugged.

“Sticking to one place for so long can be boring,” He grinned. “You understand, don’t you?”

Edric nodded.

“Yeah, my life back home was pretty boring. My sister and I love pulling pranks to spice things up a bit,” His expression soured. “Or at least, we used to. Since we got on the train it feels like she doesn’t want anything to do with me. Everytime I suggest something, I get shot down.”

Perry hopped onto Edric’s knee from the ground and gave him a sympathetic look.

“I’m sorry to hear that, it sounds rough.”

“It can be,” Edric shrugged. “But it is what it is.”

Perry’s eyes took a mischievous glint to them as an idea began forming in his head.

“I can help you.”

“What?” Edric cocked his head. “How? No offense, but I’m not sure you could do anything particularly useful.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Perry sighed. “If you let me, I can help you make things right. I have the ability to give passengers a confidence boost so that they can do what they want to do. It’s a bit… invasive but it works like a charm.”

Edric looked skeptical.

“I dunno… I don’t think my sister would approve.”

Perry chuckled and moved from Edric’s knee to his shoulder.

“And when has that ever stopped you from having some fun, or trying something new?”

Edric mulled it over. He wasn’t sure how to resolve things with Em, it felt like he’d hit a wall. He didn’t know why her attitude had become so cold and distant since getting on the train, and everytime he tried to bring it up, or try something exciting he was shot down. Edric had stopped trying to reach out to her, but maybe this denizen could help him talk to her the right way.

“Okay,” He nodded. “I’ll do it.”

“Wonderful!” Perry smirked.

\---- ---- ----

Emira accompanied Emperor Aloysius as he led her around the rest of the train car. She came across several denizens going about their day normally, and didn’t notice anything outright dangerous, which was a nice change of pace from previous cars. After some time, she asked him to take her back to the jam pond, where she figured Edric would be hanging around. Once they arrived, they noticed a few distressed denizens gathered around the pond.

Em looked around but saw no sign of her brother. She tapped a denizen on the shoulder.

“What’s going on?”

“Someone’s moved the jam,” He scowled. “Now it’s dried up.”

On the other side of the street, a turtle denizen tried to slide across the jam only to skid off and crash into a storefront. Emira winced.

“How are we supposed to slide all the way across? Everything’s going to be slowed down if we have to walk!” The denizen next to her complained.

Emira frowned. She couldn’t help but feel that Edric was behind this. She took off down the street without so much as a goodbye to Aloysius, heading to check on the mail delivery system. Once she reached it, she noticed a mailman try to deliver mail but he couldn’t because of a large wooden plank covering the hole.

Thunder crackled in the air and Emira looked up. The sky turned purple-grey, and dark storm clouds whirled in the air. Pieces of wall, a tree, a staircase, and other assorted items floated up in the air towards the eye of the storm. Turtle denizens fled (slowly), screaming as they tried to get away from the chaos. Emira turned and raced back to where she had left Aloysius.

“Aloysius, what’s happening?” She panted, catching her breath.

Aloysius pointed upwards, to a red bricked broken tower where someone was removing blue orbs from the platform. Emira’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hands. 

It was Edric.

“If he moves all of those stairs, the gravity will go with them and our kingdom will be torn apart!” Aloysius cried.

Emira sprang into action. She jumped onto a floating cement block, nearly stumbling but she managed to regain her balance. She jumped up to a staircase hanging above her, fingers grasping the edge but she failed to reach it. Emira began to fall to the ground but the gravitational pull of the staircase caught her as she fell, pulling her to the other side where she landed upside down on the steps.

Emira raced up the stairs and jumped from object to object to reach her brother. Broken slabs of pavement, a wooden door, and another staircase. Finally, Emira was close enough to speak to him when jumped onto a horizontal pillar and hung on, her feet dangling in the air.

Edric didn’t spare her a glance, he removed another blue orb from the platform and the wind picked up, ruffling Emira’s hair. She tried to get his attention.

“Edric! What are you doing?! Stop!”

Edric looked over his shoulder and met her desperate look with a neutral expression. His eyes were glazed over, instead of bright amber they were a dull brown.

“I am putting things back in order, as they should be. If the denizens knew the car was broken, they would’ve fixed it,” He smiled eerily. “They don’t need to worry anymore, I am here to correct the mistakes.”

Edric bent down and removed another orb. A piece of the sky disappeared, revealing a blood red sky and wooden framing. Turtle denizens screamed as they were lifted into the air.

“What are you talking about?” Emira screeched as she nearly lost her grip on the column.

Around them, the suspended pieces of the car glitched.

“I have to put things in order,” Edric repeated as he crossed his arms. “It is for the best.”

“Edric please, look around! You’re going to destroy everything!”

Edric’s brows furrowed and he gazed at the view before him. Miscellaneous pieces of buildings, cement, and other assorted objects were slowly rising to the sky, and the frantic shouting of denizens below could be heard clearly over the wind.

“C’mon, this isn’t you,” Emira’s eyes watered. “The Ed I know would never do this.” 

A moment of clarity seemed to overcome Edric. He groaned in pain and pressed his hands to his eyes. After a moment, he placed one of the orbs back, resetting the gravity.

The pillar Emira was clinging to drifted over to Edric, and Em managed to hop onto the platform and wrap her arms around Edric, pulling him into a tight hug.

“Em?” Edric’s voice sounded confused, his mouth was slightly ajar.

Emira leaned back and noticed something green in the back of his throat. Her eyes narrowed.

“Ed, what did you eat?”

“Nothing,” He smiled weakly before another wave of pain seemed to overcome him. He gasped and fell to his knees.

“Edric!” Emira dropped and tilted his face towards hers. “Open your mouth, now!”

Edric shook his head, his eyes clouding once more.

So, Emira did the only thing she could do. 

She smacked him as hard as she could behind the head. Edric jerked forward and coughed out a green _something_ onto the platform. Emira’s nose curled in disgust.

“What the hell is _that_?”

Edric wheezed, wiping the spit that had dribbled down his chin.

“Perry,” He gasped. “He said he could help me with something.”

Emira wanted to smack her brother again. Once again he had done something foolish, without thinking it through, and it had resulted in both of them nearly dying. She pushed down her frustration and turned to the denizen. Perry stretched and sat up, flashing the twins with a charming smile. 

“Give me one reason not to eviscerate you right now,” Emira scowled.

“Well, I can tell you why your brother seeked my help,” Perry chuckled. “I doubt he’ll tell you otherwise.”

Emira looked back to Edric, who avoided her gaze. She bit her lip and faced Perry again.

“I can talk to him later,” She jabbed a finger at the denizen. “I want to know what your deal is. What do you get out of destroying a train car? Don’t you live here?”

Perry shook his head and maintained a smug expression.

“I only have one thing to say to you,” His smile turned sinister. “The Apex reveals the truth.”

“W- What?” Emira sputtered.

Perry cackled.

“Oh believe me, you’ll figure out what I mean soon enough.”

Without any warning, Perry leapt off the platform, disappearing into the distance as he reached the ground.

Emira and Edric stared blankly, dumbfounded by what had just happened. Edric was the first to shake himself out of his stupor.

“So that was weird,” Edric commented, now knowing what else to say.

Emira pinched his ear between her fingers, yanking them hard.

“Ow, ow, ow!” He pushed her hand away. “What was that for?”

Emira glared at him. Edric laughed nervously.

“Oh… right.”

\---- ---- ---- 

Amity helped Luz down from the last branch and steadied her with an arm on her shoulder as she hopped to the ground. They had finally made it to the bottom of the tree. A large carving of the couple that had brought the Gillicutty and Trundleshank families together was engraved by the roots. A dense gray fog shrouded the ground, and it was the only thing besides the tree in sight. 

“Alan Dracula!” Luz called out. “Bleat once if you’re okay, twice if you’re hurt!”

Amity let out a shrill whistle and looked around, scanning her surroundings to see if she could see the deer anywhere. Suddenly, she heard clopping from behind her. She turned around and facepalmed.

“Unbelievable!” She groaned.

The deer was walking up the side of the tree with no problem as his hooves had changed into suction cups. Luz noticed where Amity was looking and clapped her hands to her cheeks.

“Oh no! We gotta go after him!”

Luz and Amity gave chase and managed to reach the deer before he was too high up. They jumped onto the deer’s antlers and sat down, grabbing their backpacks which had been hanging from the antlers. Now that they had successfully tracked down the deer and retrieved their belongings, the air between them became awkward with unresolved tension from their argument earlier.

Amity glanced at Luz out of the corner of her eye. Her companion was hugging her backpack close to her chest, as if she were afraid she’d lose it again. Amity chewed on her lip and looked away, staring into the wide expanse of the bleak view before her.

Amity didn’t know what to make of Luz.

One moment she was dropping an overgrown watermelon on her foot and bumbling over herself to apologize. 

The next she bursting into a haunted mansion to save her life.

Sure, she could be reckless, overly optimistic, and a little too nosy at times. Amity certainly didn’t appreciate her prying into her life, or telling her how she should act. She had enough of that already from her family.

But, she had to admit that Luz wasn’t as bad as she’d initially thought when they had first met days ago. She was relatively trustworthy, and when push came to shove, Amity knew she could count on Luz to help. Lilith’s parting words came back to her, echoing softly in her head.

_She has a good heart._

Amity sighed and looked down at her hands, clenching and unclenching them as she came to terms with what she knew she had to do next. She had to do what was right. But, knowing she was doing the right thing didn’t make doing it any easier.

“Luz.”

“Hmm?” Luz perked up, meeting Amity’s steady gaze with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m sorry.” 

Luz’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

“I- I know I haven’t been the nicest person to you, and you don’t deserve that,” Amity fell silent for a moment before continuing. “And I want you to know that I’m sorry for what I said earlier, during our argument. It was totally uncalled for… I was just really stressed about losing my backpack and took out my frustration on you. I know that doesn’t make what I did right, but I hope you can understand where I was coming from.”

Luz was speechless. The last thing she had expected to see, hear, or experience today had been a full on apology from Amity. But here she was, being vulnerable to Luz for the first time ever. Luz swallowed, chewing on how to reply. She had never been in this kind of situation before. Normally people who were upset at her stayed that way, save for her mamá. She decided to wing it and hope for the best.

“Thank you,” Luz smiled. “And I want to apologize too.”

Amity shook her head.

“It’s okay, you don’t have--” 

“No,” Luz cut her off gently. “I want to, and I should, because what I did wasn’t right either. I pushed you when I shouldn’t have. You don’t have to share anything with me, because you don’t owe me anything. We barely know each other… I- I just got excited at the prospect of becoming friends with you,” Luz let out a dry laugh. “Back home I don’t really have friends, and I just think you’re really cool, so I kind of latched onto you without meaning to.”

Another moment of silence. But this one was more comfortable, a little easier to bear than the last. Amity made a split-second decision and dug into her backpack, searching for the very thing that had nearly driven her nuts earlier today when she realized it could be gone forever. Finally she grasped it around her fingers and pulled it out, cupping it in her hands carefully. Luz watched curiously and her jaw dropped when she noticed what Amity was holding. Amity met Luz’s wide eyes with a small, shy smile.

“You’re wrong about one thing. I do owe you something Luz-- I owe you my life. If it wasn’t for you, I’d probably be dead right now,” Amity looked down to the object she was cradling in her hands. “I… I’ve never been really good with people. Opening up to them, I mean. This was a gift from my first and only best friend that she gave me for my birthday before she had to move away. I know it isn’t much, but I hope it helps you understand me a bit better.”

Luz didn’t say anything, which did nothing to soothe Amity’s nerves. Instead, she opened her own backpack and pulled out a thick book. Luz flipped it over so that Amity could see the cover. Amity’s breath hitched and she nearly dropped her Azura pin. Luz grinned.

“Looks like we have more in common than we thought,” She winked.

Amity blinked. Her eyes bounced back and forth, from the book, to Luz, to the book again.

And then.

For the first time in days (in what felt like years)... 

Amity laughed. 

Her laughter echoed through the car, and hearing it was like music to Luz’s ears. 

Luz’s smile widened, making her eyes crinkle at the edges. She laid the book gently on her lap as she watched Amity break out into joyful, uproarious laughter.

Yeah.

They would be just fine.

\---- ---- ---- 

“I cannot believe you!” Emira hissed.

Edric shrunk under his sister’s furious look. Aloysius had banned them from the train car, asking them to never come back. Now they were standing right outside the exit door, where Emira had decided to corner him in another infamous lecture.

“How many times do I have to tell you that messing around on this train isn’t the same as when we do it back home?” Emira felt a headache start to come on. “It could mean life or death, how do you not understand that by now?”

“I do!” Edric insisted.

Emira scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“Really? It certainly doesn’t seem that way given how you trusted a complete stranger to mind control you!”

“I didn’t think he’d do that!” Edric protested.

“Well he did!” Emira snapped. “And look where we are now! We could’ve rested for a few days, but now we’re off to the next car.”

Edric’s eyes narrowed and he scowled.

“Shouldn’t you be happy then? You’re the one who wanted to move on quickly in the first place!”

“That was before I realized the car was safe,” Emira argued back. “Well it _was_ , until you ruined everything again.”

Edric’s eyes watered. He had never made his sister this upset before, and he’d be lying if he didn’t admit that her harsh words cut into him. 

Because there was some truth to them, as much as he hated to admit it. 

This _was_ all his fault. He couldn’t do anything right.

Not with his parents, who he managed to appease only thanks to the efforts of Em.

Not with Amity, who he had hurt deeply.

And certainly not with Emira, whose life he had endangered once again.

“You’re right,” He muttered, looking down at his shoes. “You’re probably better off without me.”

Emira jolted and her eyes widened. Her expression softened upon seeing Edric look so dejected. She hadn’t meant to yell at him, but she was more upset than she’d initially thought.

“Wh- What?” Emira reached out a hand towards Edric, but he pushed it away.

“You heard me,” He looked up and there were tears streaming down his face. “We should split up.”

Emira was left feeling dumbstruck. This had come out of left field. She hadn’t expected her brother to suggest _this_ of all things he could have possibly said. She shook her head.

“No, we have to stick together,” Em stepped closer to him. “Afterall, we’re all we’ve got.”

A pause. Then-

“Maybe that’s the problem,” Edric croaked, voice hoarse. “We’ve spent almost every waking moment together and haven’t learned how to manage on our own.”

He turned away from Emira and began walking across the bridge, to the next car.

Emira was frozen for a moment before she shook herself out of her shock.

“Ed, wait!” She called out. “Come back!” 

Edric didn’t turn around, he only quickened his pace. Emira made to follow him when the train jolted and she stumbled, nearly falling over. As she straightened, her jaw dropped when she saw the bridge connecting the cars begin to retract. She tried to reach it in time but it was too late.

“NO!” Emira yelled. 

Edric reached the other side of the bridge and turned around. He wore a stony expression on his face. He raised a single hand, before turning back and entering the next car. The train jolted once more and the train car he’d entered shifted, rising above the cars, and shot down in the opposite direction along the tracks laid at the top of the train.

“Edric!” She screamed, collapsing onto the cold platform.

It was no use. 

He was gone.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/godless_glasses), [tumblr](https://lexa-alycia.tumblr.com), [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/godless.glasses/)


	11. Erised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willow and Gus reflect on what they’ve been missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for 4500+ hits and 275 kudos! :))
> 
> As always, thanks to @Theatrical72 for beta reading! They just finished part one of their Owl House future series, go check it out if you haven't already! Also, I recently signed on to some other fics as a co-creator, check them out! (I'm especially proud of Tipping Point- it was an idea I had months ago and I collab'd with a writer to finally make it happen!!)
> 
> Enjoy!

“Luz! You’re okay!”

Gus sprinted over to where Luz was standing by the edge of the train platform, the wasteland hurtling by underneath them. He launched himself into her arms, squeezing her tight.

Luz laughed.

“Of course I am!” She hugged him back. “This train has nothing on me!”

Gus pulled away from his friend, his eyes watering with unshed tears.

“I thought-” He sniffled. “I thought you were-”

“Hey hey,” Luz shushed him. “It’s okay. I’m here, alright?”

Gus nodded and not wanting to let go of Luz, he held her hand and started to pull her away to the next car. But she wouldn’t budge. 

“Uh, I think I’m stuck,” She gave him a sheepish smile.

Luz tried to walk forward but she only ended up nearly falling over the edge.

“Stop!” Gus helped her regain her balance. “Stay right here, let me get Willow for help.”

Gus ran back inside the exit door, looking for Willow but she was nowhere to be found. Confused, Gus stepped back outside onto the platform and froze. 

A twizzler denizen was trying to push Luz over the edge while she resisted. Once she spotted Gus, her eyes widened.

“Gus! Help me! Please!” She cried out.

Gus tried to get to her, but it was like his shoes were glued to the floor.

“I’m sorry!” Tears streamed down his cheeks. “I can’t!”

He watched Luz fall off the train, and there was nothing he could do about it but listen to her scream for several agonizing seconds before her voice fell silent. He collapsed to his knees, hugging himself as he sobbed on the cold platform floor.

\---- ---- ----

Gus woke up gasping, drenched in sweat. His fists clenched the bedsheets and he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. The sound of Luz’s screams echoed in his ears.

Another day, another nightmare. 

They had started the day Luz had fallen off the train and they had lost her to the Wasteland. He had one almost every night since then. And it always ended the same way, leaving him feeling sad and drained. There were bags under his eyes and he tired much more quickly during the day, so he and Willow had to take more breaks as they traveled through the cars.

At least this time he hadn’t woken up Willow. He always felt bad when that happened, even if Willow insisted it was okay. He laid back down and turned to look at his friend. Willow was fast asleep next to him, her round rimmed glasses set next to her pillow. Gus smiled and pulled up his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face. He glanced at his watch and checked the time, it read 4:20AM. 

He shut his eyes, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep.

\---- ---- ----

An alarm pinged from Gus’ watch as it struck 8:00AM. He muted it and sat up as his stomach rumbled with hunger. Just as he had expected, he had done nothing but toss and turn the past few hours. Gus looked to Willow and debated on waking her up. He knew that she definitely needed the rest just as much as he did. While she didn’t have nightmares like Gus did, he would frequently catch her zoning out during conversations, as if her mind was elsewhere.

He decided to let her sleep more, and settled on coming back to wake her once he had breakfast. Gus rose to his feet and made his way to the dining room, where he joined the Corginians for breakfast. Surprisingly, there were a lot of options despite corgi dogs being the only inhabitants of the car.

Gus settled on scrambled eggs with some buttered toast and a glass of water. As he dug into his meal, King Atticus padded over and sat next to him on the floor.

“Good morning young Augustus,” Atticus greeted. “Did you rest well?”

Gus nodded, not wanting to get into his recurring nightmare. If Atticus noticed his gaunt look, he said nothing about it.

“I take it you and Willow will be departing today, correct?”

“Yeah,” Gus replied in between bites of food. “Can you show us where the exit door is after breakfast?”

“Of course!” Atticus puffed his chest out. “It is my duty as the King of Corginia to set an example for my subjects to follow.”

Gus smiled at the gesture. Atticus may be a king, but the denizen was also an adorable dog.

“How did you become King anyway?” Gus tilted his head in curiosity.

Atticus eagerly jumped into a lengthy story of his adventures as a young pup, filled with equal parts drama, action and romance. Gus nodded along, smiling at all the right parts and thanked Atticus for sharing it with him. 

“Well, I better go wake up Willow so we can get going.”

Atticus agreed to meet them outside the dining pavilion, and Gus left the dining hall to return to the bedroom he’d shared last night with his friend. He opened the door slowly and peeked his head in. Sure enough, Willow was still fast asleep, snuggled in a bundle of blankets with her hair sticking up from all ends. Gus walked over to her and shook her gently by the shoulder. Willow stirred from sleep and blinked her eyes open groggily. She smiled at Gus but it soon turned into a slight frown as she noticed the bags under his eyes.

“You didn’t sleep well, did you?” 

It was said less as a question and more as a statement of fact.

Gus sighed.

“Yeah but it’s okay,” He waved a hand in the air. “I think I’m getting used to the lack of sleep.”

Willow shook her head.

“If you need more time-” She started.

“Willow,” He raised a hand. “Please trust me on this. I’m alright.”

Willow pressed her lips together, and it looked like she was going to object but she didn’t say anything else. 

Willow and Gus gathered their belongings and made their way outside of the building, where they met Atticus. The King of Corginia wagged his tail excitedly as they approached. Willow and Atticus exchanged pleasantries, and all three set off together to the exit door.

To get there, they had to cross a river and walk through the woods on the outskirts of the kingdom. On the way, the group made small talk, led mostly by Atticus who had several questions for the passengers about the human world.

“I see, and what is this ‘dog show’ you speak of?” Atticus cocked his head. “Is it a talent show? A waltz perhaps? And most importantly, are corgis included?”

“Well, it’s actually neither of those things,” Gus chuckled. “Basically, a judge that’s familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to their established breed type. So they have to judge them based on things like their appearance and attitude,” Gus scratched the back of his head. “I’m pretty sure corgis participate.”

Willow raised an eyebrow.

“Gus, how do you even know about this stuff?”

“I read a lot,” He shrugged. “Also, my dad may or may not force me to watch the competitions with him whenever they’re on.”

Willow smirked.

“Ah, that now that makes sense.”

As they neared the exit door, Atticus decided to change topics and ask Willow and Gus another question.

“I know we must part ways soon, but I wanted to ask how your journey has fared thus far,” Atticus stepped carefully around a large puddle. “I may be able to impart some advice.”

Gus noticeably stiffened, and noticing this Willow decided to step in.

“It’s been…” She struggled for the right words. “Challenging. But we’ve made it this far, so we must be doing something right,” She smiled sheepishly.

“I see,” Atticus nodded. “Have you by any chance had to deal with the Apex? I’ve heard from my diplomatic contacts in other cars that they’ve been increasingly stirring up trouble for passengers in recent months.”

“You know the Apex?” Gus exclaimed, eyes widening. 

“Unfortunately, yes,” Atticus growled. “A stain to the nature of peaceful denizens everywhere.”

“What can you tell us about them?” Willow fiddled with her hands. “We’ve… run into them before and if we have to again I’d like for us to be better prepared than we were last time.”

Willow and Gus both fell silent, remembering just how poorly that exchange had gone.

“Well, as far as I know, they are rogue denizens that follow the twisted philosophy of Emperor Belos, the leader of the Colosseum Car,” Atticus huffed. “Belos believes that passengers do not belong on the train, and has been taking steps to discredit the conductor as well as make the lives of passengers exceedingly difficult. I heard from a contact in the Lucky Cat car that he has been reaching out to the denizens of other cars to form an alliance of sorts.” 

“I don’t get it,” Gus shook his head. “Wasn’t the train created to help passengers?”

“You’re correct,” Atticus sighed. “I know One-One and can attest that the train and the denizens that inhabit it are intended to support you all through personal journeys of growth, spurred by the circumstances that led you to find the train.

Gus’ eyebrows furrowed. 

“If that’s the case, then why does Belos hate passengers? What’s his endgame?”

“And if he doesn’t like passengers, shouldn’t he be making it easier for them to leave the train by encouraging denizens to help them?” Willow added. 

“It is my understanding that Belos holds a deep seated resentment towards passengers. As to why, I do not know,” Atticus’ tone sombered. “From ensuring passengers miss One-One’s orientation to plying denizens with lies to turn them against them, he holds no qualms with making them suffer.”

Willow and Gus flinched, remembering how Luz didn’t wake up in a passenger pod, and later the twizzler denizens they had encountered who had insisted on sacrificing Luz as to avoid a calamity striking the Food Car.

“He’s been focusing on changing denizen sentiment towards passengers and building a coalition of allies. I think his erratic and seemingly counterintuitive actions over the course of the last several months have been building up to his ultimate goal- ridding the train of all passengers. Though, I’m not quite sure how he will set out to accomplish that. There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of passengers on the train.”

Atticus sighed as they reached the exit door and came to a halt a few feet away from where it was set in a stone wall. He sat down and gazed up at Willow and Gus with a serious look.

“A month ago he invited me, as the King of Corginia, to an upcoming ball where he plans to cement his grand alliance and make an important announcement,” Atticus huffed. “I declined of course. I find him and his followers utterly absurd. He has done nothing but wreak havoc on denizens' way of life, and endanger passengers who travel through the train.”

“We know,” Willow muttered angrily under her breath. “We lost one of our friends to the Apex.”

Gus glanced down and scuffed his shoes against the ground.

“Thank you for the information, it’s helpful to know what exactly we’re up against.”

“Of course, I’m happy to be of assistance,” He looked from Gus to Willow. “And my deepest condolences to your friend. Unfortunately, they aren’t the first passenger to lose their life due to Belos’ schemes.”

Willow pressed her lips together, clenching her hands into fists before relaxing them.

“Now that I’m thinking about it, why hasn’t One-One done anything about this?” Willow asked. “As the train conductor, he has to have some power to help us.”

Atticus looked away, seemingly lost in thought for a moment.

“To be honest, I’m not quite sure why he hasn’t acted yet,” Atticus scratched his right ear with his hind leg. “I’m certain he will take action soon. He has access to automatons and advanced technology that would surely help control Belos and his allies.”

“He better,” Gus grumbled. “I don’t know what we’ll do if we run into the Apex again.”

“Your best bet is to remain as vigilant as possible, and unless you know denizens hold no ill will towards passengers, I recommend hiding your passenger numbers just in case.”

Willow perked up.

“That’s not a bad idea, thank you Atticus.”

Atticus wagged his tail for a few seconds before it stilled again.

“Well, if there isn’t anything else, I suppose I’ll send you on your way,” He bowed. “I wish you both the best of luck on the remainder of your journey.”

Gus and Willow thanked Atticus again for his hospitality, and walked through the exit door, shutting it closed behind them.

\---- ---- ----

“This car is doing wonders for my self-image,” Gus observed his reflection with a grin.

He looked back at an older, taller version of himself dressed in nice clothing and wearing black Ray Bans. He giggled as struck a few cool poses, his reflection mirroring his movements.

“It’s interesting I guess,” Willow looked at her own reflection, in a different mirror, not knowing what to make of it. All she saw was her skeletal frame, complete with empty eye sockets, staring back at her.

_Interesting_ was certainly one word to describe the Mirror Car. With its plain white walls, and fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling, it was extremely well lit, making it easy to see the hundreds of different mirrors scattered around the car in every direction. It was impossible to take five steps forward without running into one (literally). All of the mirrors were standing on their own, although some had fallen over and cracked, leaving shards of glass littered over the ground. Willow and Gus watched their feet as they picked their way through the car, stopping by here and there to check out the more compelling reflections they noticed.

“I wish I could take a picture of every reflection but my phone would die,” Gus pouted.

“That’s probably for the best,” Willow patted his shoulder. “I dunno if anyone outside of the train will believe all of the things we’ve seen, even if we had a record of them. I wouldn’t.”

“I think my dad would,” Gus straightened, tapping a finger to his lips thoughtfully. “He’s an investigative reporter, so he believes in evidence above all else-”

“What evidence?” Willow snorted. “I think our numbers will disappear when they reach zero, and it's not like we can bring back any souvenirs without pissing off some denizen.”

“Let me finish!” Gus insisted. He cleared his throat and continued. “As I was _saying_ , my dad knows for a fact that I am a horrible liar, so when I tell him everything he’ll have to believe me!”

Willow tilted her head quizzically, and with the motion, her glasses slid down her nose slightly. 

“Isn’t that evidence more circumstantial than anything else? I feel like he’d be more likely to believe you’ve gone off the rails.”

“Well, what about your parents?” Gus huffed. “Are you going to lie to them after you’ve been missing for weeks?”

Willow felt her stomach flip. She pressed her lips together.

God when was the last time she had thought about her dads?

_They must be so worried about me._

Willow pushed back the impending guilt rising within her and answered matter-of-factly.

“I don’t see another way to go about this,” She readjusted her glasses. “I’ll just say I was kidnapped or something. Nothing else will make sense to my dads or the authorities.”

Gus hummed.

“That’s a promising idea, but you’ll need to craft the perfect backstory, with no plot holes or missing pieces, if you really want to convince them,” Gus brightened. “Oh! Can I help?”

Willow was still feeling slightly uneasy at the realization that she hadn’t thought about her family in days, so she pushed the topic aside, for now.

“Maybe later,” She sighed. “For now, let’s focus on getting through this car without breaking anything. Knowing this train, shattering a mirror would actually cause seven years of bad luck.”

Gus nodded in agreement and together they continued making their way through the car. Thankfully, neither of them managed to knock over anything, though there had been a few close calls.

“Gus! Watch out!”

Willow yanked him by the scruff of his t-shirt, pulling Gus away from the mirror that had just risen out of the ground, completely out of nowhere. Gus turned his head and examined the mirror.

“Huh, that’s new,” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Willow frowned. “I guess why there’s so many? New ones must randomly pop up.”

As they walked, Willow and Gus didn’t run into denizens, in the traditional sense at least.

“Hello there!”

They jumped, Gus clinging to Willow’s side as they turned their attention to the origin of the new voice. It was a red framed mirror, with two googly eyes planted crookedly along the top. As the mirror spoke, a crack set in the middle moved, causing a scraping sound that grated on the passengers’ ears.

“My name’s Lucille, how are y’all doing today?” The mirror smiled(?).

“Uh, we’re doing okay,” Willow answered, shifting on her feet. The mirror’s googly eyes didn’t sit right with her at all.

Meanwhile, excitement overtook Gus as he recovered from being startled earlier.

“Wow!” He stepped closer to the mirror, pulling out his notebook and pen from his bag in one practiced motion. “Have you always talked? Are there more mirrors like you? Do you eat-”

“Gus,” Willow interrupted, her tone wasn’t snappy, but still had a slight edge to it.

Gus jolted, snapped out of his ‘reporter-mode’ as Willow liked to call it. He dropped his hands and stepped away from the mirror apologetically.

“Right,” He smiled at Willow before turning back to Lucille. “Nice to meet you, but we best be going now. We’re trying to get out of here by the end of the day.”

Lucille’s googly eyes bounced from Gus to Willow before settling on Gus again.

“That’s quite alright. I just get a bit lonely now and then,” Lucille sighed. “Well, I wish you the best of luck on the rest of your travels!”

Gus felt a bit bad for leaving the denizen so soon, especially without making a better attempt at conversation. Ever since they talked to Atticus, Willow had made it clear that they should steer clear of denizens, and keep any interactions with them limited to play it safe. Gus knew she was putting their best interests at heart, but that didn’t mean he liked the decision. He loved getting to know denizens and learning more about the infinity train. This entire experience was a once in a lifetime opportunity to explore what almost no other people had seen before.

Gus and Willow bid goodbye to the denizen and continued towards the exit door. While there were hundreds of mirrors strewn haphazardly across the car, there was somewhat of a path to follow, likely made by previous passengers. After two more hours of walking, with some breaks in between, they reached the exit door. It was about 20 feet away from them, with no red lock over the door, meaning they didn’t need a key to open it.

They shared a grin and took off towards the door. When they were about five feet away, the sound of shattering glass filled the room, making Willow and Gus stop in their tracks. Near them, a few mirrors cracked and right in front of them, a large mirror with intricate golden framing rose from the ground, blocking their exit. A gray blanket was draped over the mirror, so neither passenger could see their reflections.

“Ugh, you have to be kidding me!” Willow groaned as she pinched her nose. “We were so close!”

Gus understood his friend’s frustration, but had figured this car had been too easy without some kind of catch. He wasn’t too surprised, save for the shattering glass startling him.

“Hey, it’ll be fine,” He nudged Willow on the shoulder. “We’ll get through this just like all the other cars.”

Willow sighed, resigning herself to their reality.

“Yeah I know, but this train always manages to surprise me, in the most unpleasant and unpredictable ways possible,” She crossed her arms, examining the mirror before them. “I should’ve known something like this would happen.”

Gus shrugged.

“Well, might as well get this over with,” He stepped closer to the mirror and tugged the gray blanket off. As it landed in a heap on the floor, Gus’ mouth dropped wide open.

“Luz,” He croaked.

Before him, Luz stood smiling brightly and shot a pair of finger guns at him. She was dressed in the same clothes she’d worn the day Gus saw her fall off the train. Despite the fact that his friend had most certainly died and ended up as a grease stain on the wasteland, Luz was right there in front of him, looking completely fine.

Gus could only gape, opening and closing his mouth, no words coming out.

From behind him, Willow couldn’t see the mirror clearly. 

“Gus, what did you say?” She joined him in front of the mirror, trying to prod him out of his stupor. It didn’t work. “What do you--” Willow stopped once her eyes landed on the mirror, or rather, the image reflected back at her.

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Willow’s parents were looking at her, both wearing fond expressions on their faces. Her dad had an arm around her pop, holding him close. Both were dressed in the cheesy Christmas sweaters she had gotten them as gag gifts last year. Willow didn’t realize she was crying until she licked her chapped lips, the salty taste drawing her out of her daze. She blinked.

_This isn’t real…_

She swallowed.

_As much as I want it to be._

Willow, painfully, unwillingly, looked away from the reflection of her parents and down to the plaque engraved at the base of the mirror. 

**Erised fo rorriM**

**“Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi."**

_What the-_

Willow was puzzled and didn’t know what to make of the jumble of words on the plaque. She nudged Gus on the shoulder.

“Gus.”

No answer.

Willow glanced at Gus and gasped. His eyes were glazed over, a grey haze obscuring his normally dark brown eyes. He was stuck staring at the mirror, tear tracks staining his face. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this wasn’t good. Willow stepped in front of him, blocking his view of the mirror and shook him by the shoulders.

“Gus! Wake up!” She bit her lip. “This isn’t real!”

It took a few moments, but the fog that had clouded his vision cleared, and color returned to his eyes. Willow almost cried again in relief. She cupped his cheeks, making sure he didn’t look at the mirror again.

“Are you okay?”

“I- I,” He stammered.

Willow smiled.

“It’s okay,” She dropped her hands. “Take your time.”

Gus took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Finally, he managed to collect himself, somewhat. 

“I’m… okay.”

That didn’t exactly reassure Willow, but she figured he’d seen something that had shaken him just like the picture perfect image of dads, who she hadn’t seen in weeks, had jarred her.

Willow pointed to the plaque at the base of the mirror.

“I think that should explain everything, only I have no idea what it says.”

Gus perked up. He always liked a mystery. He bent down and peered at the scramble of letters engraved on the plaque. After humming to himself for a few moments, he stood back up, an easy smile on his face.

“I know what it says,” He grinned, barely containing his smug smile that he had figured it out so quickly when Willow couldn't.

“Well?” Willow’s patience was wearing thin, and what she’d seen in the mirror had felt like a personal attack.

“The words are backwards,” He explained, looking back to the plaque. “It reads: ‘Mirror of Desire. I show not your face but your heart's desire.’”

“Does it say anything about how to unlock the door?”

As if on cue, blazing red letters appeared on the plaque, this time in the right order. 

_You must face your heart’s desire,_

_The door will not open for a liar._

After a few seconds, the letters faded away. Willow and Gus didn’t say anything for a moment, until-

“Haven’t you emotionally traumatized us enough!” Willow kicked at a mirror, causing it to rattle.

“Willow!” Gus pulled her back. “Be careful! You could break it!”

“As I should,” She huffed, turning her nose away from the mirror. “And how are we supposed to face our desire anyway? Didn’t we both just do that by looking at the mirror?”

Gus tapped his chin thoughtfully.

“Well, in the past being vulnerable with each other has helped lower our numbers,” He provided.

Willow groaned.

“So we have to talk about our feelings?”

Gus nodded.

“Yeah,” He shrugged. “It could be worse.”

Willow scowled.

“You’re right, but I hate that we have no choice. I’d rather share what I saw willingly with you rather than being forced to.”

“I don’t have a problem sharing what I saw,” Gus frowned. “You know you can trust me to keep whatever you say between us. Aren’t we friends?”

Willow sighed.

“We are friends,” She rubbed her temple. “But that doesn’t mean I’m comfortable telling you about every aspect of my life.” 

Gus hummed.

“Well, if you want, I can go first,” He offered.

The tension in Willow’s shoulders subsided, albeit only slightly.

“I’d appreciate that, thanks.”

Gus was silent for a few moments looking down at his shoes. 

“I saw her,” He murmured. 

“Uh, who?” Willow asked, lines forming in between her eyebrows.

“Luz.”

It was like a bucket of ice had been poured over her head.

“Oh.”

Gus nodded.

“I know,” He shifted on his feet uncomfortably. “What did you see?”

Willow stiffened. 

“My dads… I- I hadn’t thought about them for a while, not until today,” Her face dropped. “I feel horrible, they must be worried sick about me, wondering where I am.”

They fell into a strangely comfortable silence.

“Knowing what the mirror’s about now, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that I saw Luz, alive and well,” Gus chuckled dryly. “She’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had, and I only knew her for about a week.”

“Well, they do say quality over quantity,” Willow replied, trying to lift the mood somewhat.

“Yeah,” Gus rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess I didn’t see my dad because I’ve been writing journal entries addressed to him, so he can read them when I get off the train.”

Willow nodded.

“That makes sense,” Her mouth felt dry with the next words she felt she needed to say. “I- I know you’ve been having recurring nightmares about Luz, and part of me feels guilty because I… I haven’t had any.”

Gus glanced up at that, and took hold of Willow’s right hand.

“People process things differently,” He squeezed her hand.

Willow squeezed back.

“Yeah, but knowing that doesn’t stop me from feeling that way.” She looked at Gus directly in the eyes. “I haven’t forgotten about her. It’s just… easier to try not thinking about what happened to Luz, I guess.”

Before Gus could reply, the noise of shattering glass filled the air once again. Willow and Gus turned their attention back to the mirror, which sank back into the floor, dragging the gray blanket with it. It disappeared just as quickly it had appeared. 

Willow and Gus looked at each other. Both felt a similar sense of relief that their conversation had been cut short. Yet, the feelings and thoughts the Mirror of Desire had brought forth wouldn’t fade for quite some time. What they had seen would linger, always out of reach.

Willow and Gus exited the car, still holding hands.

Neither of them could have what they truly wanted, but at least they had each other.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPT: PLEASE READ!!!!!  
> I will release Chapter 12: Bonanza (ft. Luz and Amity) either tomorrow or next Sunday. However, if I release it tomorrow y'all won't see another update til December 13th since I'll need to focus on finals. Please let me know what y'all would prefer in the comments!
> 
> A/N: The idea of the Mirror of Erised was borrowed from JK Rowling & Harry Potter. I thought it would be a cool car idea, so why not?


	12. Bonanza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz and Amity finally catch a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was probably one of my fave chapters to write, mainly because I love developing Luz and Amity's relationship.  
> Thanks for 4950+ hits, 285 kudos, and for leaving me comments! I read every single one of them. Enjoy!

“...and that’s how I tried out for the cheerleading team! Watch this!”

Luz stepped in front of Amity, halting in her tracks momentarily before spinning around. 

“Bleep boop bleep!”

Amity clamped a hand over her mouth to refrain from laughing out loud at Luz’s ridiculous looking flipped eyelids. Biting her lip, she managed to compose herself.

“I take it the cheerleaders and coaches didn’t appreciate your eager display of… talent.”

Luz slumped and fixed her eyelids, blinking away the tears that had gathered at the corner of her eyes. She fell into step beside Amity as they walked across the bridge connecting one train car to another.

“Yeah, I didn’t make the team,” Luz frowned for a moment, but then her expression lightened. “But it’s okay! There’s always next year!”

Amity hummed in response, and silence fell over the duo as they made their way to the next train car. It had been three days since they had left the Autumn car, and bid an emotional farewell to Alan Dracula (yes, Luz had been on the verge of tears as Amity forcibly dragged her away from the deer). 

“Can’t we keep him?” Luz had pleaded.

“No!” Amity puffed as she struggled to keep Luz from running back to the deer.

Amity shot her dreams of having a magical animal companion down in an instant, but Luz was undeterred and kept trying anyway.

“What if I let you rename him?” Luz grinned. “How does Amity Jr. sound?”

Amity hadn’t answered, electing to continue pulling her towards the exit door. When they reached it, Luz had squealed with excitement when she noticed that her number had decreased from 115 to 105, and thoughts of Alan Dracula had evaporated in an instant. Curious, Amity had checked her own glowing number to discover that it had also decreased, from 120 to 110. Amity thought back to One-One’s orientation and figured her apology to Luz and the conversation that followed had something to do with the change.

Since then, things between them had improved greatly. Amity no longer resisted Luz striking up a conversation, and they talked about a lot of things. First about their shared interest in Azura but then they branched out to other topics. Today, Luz began sharing more of what life was like back home, starting with every incident that had gotten her in trouble at school.

Amity had initially guessed Luz was quirky and outgoing, but not to the point where she was getting kicked out of school. While she did feel bad for her, Amity couldn’t help but admit that Luz definitely needed to learn to make decisions a bit more rationally and less spontaneously. 

“Things got so bad that my mom sent me to summer camp hoping that it’d help,” Luz’s nose wrinkled. “But not a fun one- it’s called Reality Check Summer Camp, and it’s about as horrible as it sounds. Despite all of the near death experiences, I’m glad I ended up on the train instead.”

Amity’s eyebrow raised. The camp definitely sounded terrible, but Amity couldn’t help but find its name quite apt for what she had been doing with Luz since they had met- talking her out of bad decisions and rescuing her from dangerous situations she had jumped into without a second thought. Though to be fair, Luz had done her fair share of saving too, so Amity supposed that they were even.

“Looks like the monumental task of reforming you has fallen to me then,” She remarked.

Luz perked up and leaned in towards Amity, causing her to gently push the excitable girl back by the shoulder. Amity didn’t like people invading her personal space, even if they were as amiable as Luz. Luz was unbothered by the action and took it in stride.

“Is that sarca- nay! A joke from  _ the _ Amity Blight!” Luz clutched both hands to her chest, she was never one to do things without dramatic flair. “Wow, looks like I’m a miracle worker afterall.”

Amity scoffed, shaking her head at Luz’s antics.

“I can be funny, if and when I want to be. You have nothing to do with it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Luz waved a hand. “Keep up the unfazed and cool kid facade as long as you want, but I see right through you.”

“Wha-”

“At the end of the day, you’re a dork, just like me!” Luz exclaimed.

Amity deadpanned.

“I’m not a dork.”

“Sure! Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Luz winked.

Amity only sighed as Luz giggled to herself.

They reached the door and Amity pushed it open. Amity stepped through first and Luz followed. Luz stopped in her tracks and gaped while Amity trudged forward, shoes thudding softly on the grassy field. After what Amity had experienced the last 20 days on the train, weird cars no longer fazed her. So, she made her way towards the large golden ‘lucky cat’ that stood five stories high, meowing as its right leg bent back and forth at the elbow. 

Luz was frozen in place as she took in the red collar with a yellow tag, green and black markings, and the object the cat held in its paws written in a language Luz didn’t recognize. Her brows furrowed and she took off after Amity as to not be left behind.

“Hey! Do you know what that says?” Luz asked as she joined Amity halfway across the field.

“Nope. It looks like Japanese though, which I haven’t learned yet.” 

“Yet? Luz’s eyes widened.”Just how many languages are you going to learn?”

“As many as I can before I graduate high school I guess,” Amity shrugged.

Luz hummed, nodding along though she didn’t quite understand why Amity wanted to learn so many languages. Maybe for a future career? Before Luz could ask a follow up question, Amity pulled aside the red curtain at the base of the Lucky Cat statue and stepped inside. Luz gasped.

The inside of the cat was dark, lit only by bright stringed lights splayed across varying booths, tents and attractions. Music played loudly, a lively tune that energized Luz more so than she was before.

“Wow! A fair!” Luz slapped her hands to her cheeks. “The last time I went to one was for my 11th birthday!” She smiled. “My mamá and I had a lot of fun, even if she threw up after going on the tilt-a-whirl because I was scared of riding it alone.”

Amity wasn’t sure what to say.

“Er, that’s… sweet?” 

Normally she’d opt for a simple hum or no response but being around Luz had made her more talkative lately, though she wasn’t quite sure why. She decided to continue the conversation as they walked further inside the car.

“I’ve never been to a fair before, well, not until now.”

“What!” Luz’s eyes widened. “Never ever in your entire 14 years of life?” 

“Uh, maybe not 14,” Amity glanced at Luz from the corner of her eye. “What day is it today?” 

Luz looked down at her digital watch before meeting Amity’s gaze.

“June 20th. Why?” Luz tilted her head quizzically.

Amity nodded and turned her head away from Luz.

“I’m 15, not 14 anymore.”

Luz’s breath caught in her throat.

“Oh my god! Is today your birthday?!” She squealed.

Amity winced at the high-pitched sound. It still took some getting used to, even if she had spent the last eight days with only Luz as company. She chewed on a proper response to give Luz. She could lie, but she had been attempting to be more honest lately, especially since it’d helped with her number decreasing. The truth was that Amity didn’t have many fond memories of her past birthdays, and she doubted this one would be any better. She decided to try to brush off what she’d unthinkingly shared with Luz. 

“Yes, but it’s not really a big-”

“We have to celebrate!” Luz declared, eyes shining with determination.

“But-”

“No buts!” Luz clapped her hands together. “Today is all about you! What do you want to do first?”

Amity bit back a retort and resigned herself to her fate. Once Luz set her mind to something, there was no changing it unless bodily force or lactose-free food was involved.

“Let’s figure out where the exit door is.”

“You want to leave already?” Luz frowned. “We just got here!”

Amity shook her head.

“I don’t mind staying for a while, but it’s still a good idea to know where it is, and if we need to do anything to open it.”

“Alright that makes sense,” Luz grinned. “But after that, we’re having fun! Capeesh?”

Amity nodded, rolling her eyes in exasperation. It was nice of Luz to want to make sure she had a good birthday, but her family had never made a big deal of them, so she didn’t either. To her, it was just another day. They made their way over to the prize booth, where a white tabby cat wearing a peaked cap and red tie sat on the table top.

“Hello dearies, welcome to the Lucky Cat fair,” The cat cocked her head. “Are you here to redeem your points or are you new to the car?”

“We’re new,” Amity supplied. “And we were wondering where the exit door is.”

“You came to the right place, look up,” The cat gestured upwards, and high above them was a red exit door implanted into a lucky cat on the wall. “However, you need 1000 points on your game cards to gain access to the door.”

“Sounds good!” Luz smiled as she took the game card the cat offered her, and Amity did the same, pocketing it right away. Luz looped an arm around Amity’s shoulders and tugged her close. “Anything else we need to know?”

“Yeah, is there a catch?” Amity squeaked, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks before she pulled herself free and tried to calm her rapidly beating heart.

The cat’s eyes darted between the two passengers before they settled on Amity. The cat smirked, their eyes twinkling with mirth.

“For you two lovebirds, no catch.”

Amity’s face reddened further and she sputtered as she tried to correct the cat. Luz laughed.

“What do you mean? Ami and I are just friends!”

Amity was bewildered, for more reasons than one.

_ Ami? _

Before Amity could get a word in, either to tell Luz to not call her that childish nickname or scold the cat, the denizen spoke again.

“Interesting,” The cat hummed. “Well, regardless, come back here when you both have reached 1000 points. Along with your choice of a prize, I will grant you access to the door.”

“Sweet! Thanks!” Luz grabbed Amity’s hand, turned heel, and walked away from the booth. 

Amity was extremely unused to this much physical contact with someone else, outside of rugby. Her parents rarely expressed any signs of affection, besides atypical comments regarding her continued good work in school. The twins weren’t much better, any physicality (noogies, ruffling hair, etc.) came with endless teasing that annoyed Amity to no end. So, Amity didn’t welcome contact unless she knew it was coming or had initiated it herself. Even so, Luz’s hand was soft and warm, and Amity found herself not wanting to let go, at least not yet.

Luz led them to a row of food vendors and the smell of fragrant spices and food filled the air. They stopped in front of a taco truck, and Luz finally dropped her hand.

“First things first! We’re going to need energy to play all those games,” Luz turned to face Amity. “How’s Mexican-style?”

Wiping her sweaty palms discreetly on her pants, Amity managed a shrug.

“It’s fine.”

They walked up to the window and ordered. Amity decided on tacos de carne asada while Luz got tacos al pastor. They sat down at a creaky wooden table, facing each other as they dug into their food. In between bites, Luz decided to ask Amity a question that had been lingering in the back of her mind. 

“So, why do you want to learn so many languages?”

Amity paused as she lifted a taco to her mouth, placing it back onto the paper plate and looking away.

“Well, it was more of my parents’ decision than mine. They think it’ll help me manage the family business when I’m older, since most of our clients are from outside of the country.”

Luz raised an eyebrow.

“So you don’t want to then?”

Amity bit her lip, and glanced back to meet Luz’s eyes.

“Not at first, but now that I have started learning, it’s not that bad I guess? I’ve never really thought about it before,” She shrugged. 

It was a white lie, but Amity wasn’t about to share her deep-seated resentment of her parents’ incessant need for control over her life on top of their unreasonably high expectations.

Luz hummed.

“You wanna taco ‘bout it?” She waved a taco in the air, and some pieces of meat fell back onto her plate.

Amity snorted. Most of Luz’s jokes were less than subpar but she couldn’t help but find this one slightly endearing.

“I’m good.”

“Okay.”

After they finished eating, Luz and Amity made their way towards the carnival games. They stopped at a four way junction that branched off to different areas of the fair. Luz clapped her hands together and turned to Amity.

“So birthday girl, what’ll it be?”

Amity gave her a blank look. Realizing she’d been too vague, Luz tried again.

“I mean, what do you want to do first?”

Understanding fell over Amity’s eyes and she nodded.

“Let’s try balloons and darts,” She pointed to the blue and white striped tent a few feet away.

Luz and Amity approached the tent and the duck denizen standing behind the counter perked up as they noticed them.

“Hello passengers! What can I do for ya?”

“We’d both like to try this game,” Luz answered.

The denizen nodded and explained the rules of the game, handing them five darts each. Luz and Amity would have five tries to pop the balloons, and the more they managed to pop, the more points they would get. Amity went first, and each dart she threw hit its mark, successfully popping all of the balloons. Luz cheered for her and Amity rolled her eyes, commenting it wasn’t much. When it was Luz’s turn to try, it didn’t go nearly as well.

For one, when she drew back her arm to throw the first dart, it slipped through her fingers and nearly hit a racoon denizen that had been walking behind them. The denizen had growled at Luz, but Amity quickly stepped in front of her and managed to calm the angered denizen with an apology before anything happened. As the denizen grumbled and stalked away, Luz let out a sigh of relief. 

“Thanks for the save,” She smiled gratefully.

“Don’t mention it,” Amity waved noncommittally. “Just try not to do that again,” She smirked.

Luz played with the remaining darts in her hands.

“Will do.”

When Luz tried again, she didn’t manage to pop any balloons save for one. She slumped, feeling defeated but Amity nudged her on the shoulder and pointed across the fair to the point board hanging above the prize booth, where it showed Luz had gained 10 points while Amity had gained 50. Amity wasn’t very good at comforting people, but it was weird seeing the normally jovial Luz look so down, so she figured she’d give it a shot.

“Hey, better than nothing right?” 

“Yeah,” Luz smiled but her heart wasn’t into it.

Lately she’d been feeling a bit like dead weight. Out of the two of them she believed Amity was far more capable than her at getting through cars. She still wasn’t over seeing Amity’s prone body on the floor of the haunted mansion, thinking she had been dead. And it would’ve been her fault, because Amity had wanted to leave but Luz thought they would be fine staying longer. 

In the family tree car, she had tried making peace between the families to no avail. And when her and Amity had gotten trapped by branches, Amity was the one who stayed calm and figured out how the tree worked to get their stuff back from Alan Dracula. Luz hadn’t done anything, or at least, she certainly felt that way.

They moved to the other games. Ring toss, shooting hoops, water guns, and more. Luz wasn’t very good at the games, but she saw Amity loosening up and it looked like she was enjoying herself, so she pushed her insecurities to the back of her mind. After a few hours, Amity had accumulated 700 points while Luz had 500. They decided to take a break and try out the other attractions for fun.

“How about that?” Luz pointed to a funhouse of mirrors.

Amity’s nose wrinkled.

“Hard pass, they’re not my style.”

“Why not?” Luz cocked her head.

Amity shrugged.

“They just… rub me the wrong way.”

\---- ---- ----

“Amity! How do I look?”

“Like a doofus.”

“Hey!”

Amity bit back a smile and turned away from Luz, focusing on the mirror in front of her and watched as the chimpanzee denizen finished painting an intricate purple hyacinth along her jawline on the right side of her face.

“What?” If she could roll her eyes without ruining the facepaint, she would. “I’m not the one who chose to look like an otter for the rest of the day.”

Luz’s entire face was painted, complete with a black nose, freckles, markings denoting fur lines and long white fangs. Amity had to admit it was really well done, though she wouldn’t budge on the fact that Luz making silly faces in the mirror only made her look more ridiculous. Finally the denizen backed away from Amity, their work completed. Amity and Luz thanked the denizens and walked away. Luz glanced at Amity, her eyes lingering on her face. Ever the observant one, Amity noticed.

“What?” She felt slightly self-conscious, which was atypical given her normally aloof nature. “Did I smudge it or something?”

Luz shook her head.

“No, I just think you look really pretty.”

Amity pinked, eyes widening.

“Oh.” 

“Anyway,” Luz continued as if she hadn’t just flustered the hell out of her friend. “Follow me. I have an idea of a game I won’t suck at.”

“Really?” Amity smirked, falling back into easy banter with Luz. “I find that hard to believe.”

Amity and Luz turned a corner and passed more booths and food stands, when they finally reached their destination.

“Ta-da!”

“Bumper cars,” Amity hummed. “Not a bad idea actually, I’m impressed.”

“You’ll be more than impressed when I’m through with you!” Luz winked.

Amity felt her stomach flip-flop.

“I’d like to see you try.”

True to her word, Luz was in fact really good at the bumper cars. She maneuvered skillfully around the other cars and hit Amity right when she wasn’t expecting it. And whenever Amity tried to counterattack, she managed to dart away just out of reach.

“Get back here!” Amity cursed as Luz zipped away again, laughing loudly.

“Make me!”

After the bumper cars, Luz dragged Amity over to a photo booth.

“Luz, I really don’t-”

“Sorry conejito, this is something I absolutely will not let you get out of!”

Amity flushed.

“Ugh! Don’t call me that!” She grumbled. “I should’ve never told you about Otabin.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Luz grinned. “C’mon! We need to commemorate the day!”

After taking some pictures, Luz and Amity stepped out of the booth and waited for their photos to develop. As they popped out, Luz scooped up her copy and squealed. On the slip were three photos, displaying different poses each of them had taken. 

In the first one Amity wore a scowl as Luz smiled while flashing a peace sign. In the second photo Luz held two fingers behind Amity’s head like bunny ears. Amity’s lips were pressed together, clearly biting back a grin. In the third picture Luz held a sign that said “I get us into trouble”, looking slightly sheepish. Amity on the other hand wore a soft smile while holding up a sign that read “I get us out of trouble”. 

“Don’t we look great?” Luz asked.

“I guess,” Amity tried to be nonchalant about it, but Luz didn’t miss the way she carefully tucked away the printout inside her backpack.

Luz looked around to see what they could do next. Her eyes landed on a fortune teller machine. 

“Ooh! Look!” Luz pointed to the machine. “Let’s try that next.”

Amity raised an eyebrow. She didn’t believe in things like fate or destiny. She attributed where she was in life to one’s set of personal circumstances, along with any work they put in to try to improve their situation. Although, nothing could quite possibly begin to explain the infinity train. Nevertheless, she figured it’d be amusing to see what cheesy or cliche fortune the machine gave them. She nodded and followed Luz over to the fortune teller. 

As they approached, Amity couldn’t help but think the figure inside the machine looked creepy, and she didn’t scare easily. It was a woman wearing black robes with a pale crescent moon head. Amity stared at the woman’s single purple eye, and she swore it blinked. The name on the plaque on the top of the machine read  _ Selene the Soothsayer _ . Luz whistled admiringly.

“This is so cool!” Luz glanced back at Amity before turning back to the machine. “How does it work?”

Amity rolled her eyes. The instructions were right in front of Luz’s face, in fine print next to a carved handprint on the outside of the machine below the window that displayed Selene.

“We have to press our palm with our passenger number to this hand-shaped groove for it to work,” Amity explained.

“Sweet! Wanna go first or should I?”

Amity shrugged.

“Go ahead.”

Without any hesitation, Luz slapped her right palm to the groove. Amity nearly jumped when Selene’s eye glowed brightly for several seconds before dimming once more. Underneath the name plaque, three small tarot cards were printed out. Luz snatched them and her eyes widened as she flipped through them. She was oddly silent.

“What do they say?” Amity asked.

Luz showed her the cards. The first one had a number four in the top right corner and read  _ The Emperor _ , but the figure it depicted was reversed. On the back of the card it simply read  _ Past _ along the top and  _ immaturity _ was underneath that.

“Well, it’s not wrong,” Amity remarked.

Surprisingly, Luz didn’t dispute the comment. She showed her the next card, which read  _ The Sun _ with the number 17. On the back of the card  _ Present _ and  _ happiness and contentment _ were written.

Amity hummed.

_ Better than the last one, and still accurate. _

Luz flipped to the last card which read  _ The Moon _ with the number 18. On the back of the card  _ Future _ and  _ hidden enemies, danger, terror _ were small letterprint.

“That’s not good, right?” Luz looked worried.

Amity shifted on her feet.

“Well, it is just a machine. I’d take your fortune with a grain of salt.”

“I guess you’re right,” Luz murmured.

She put the cards away in her backpack and glanced at Amity.

“Well, are you gonna go or what?”

Amity pressed her lips together in thought. While her curiosity had been piqued by the tarot cards Luz had received, she hadn’t liked the last one at all. But then again… 

_ It’s just a machine. It wouldn’t hurt, right? _

Amity nodded and pressed her palm against the groove. Once again Selene’s eye glowed purple. After a moment, three cards were printed out. The first two were okay, but Amity fumbled and nearly dropped all of the cards when she read the last one. Curious, Luz stepped closer to her to try and read them, but Amity held them to her chest, blocking her view.

“What do they say?”

“Uh-, I-,” Amity stammered. “Nothing!” 

Luz narrowed her eyes. Amity being flustered about something was an exceedingly rare occurrence. She knew something was up with her friend.

“That’s not nothing,” She crossed her arms. “C’mon Ami, I showed you my fortune, I should be able to see yours too.”

_ Ami. _

No one had called her that since-

Amity swallowed down her nerves and handed the cards over to Luz, pointedly avoiding eye contact. Luz read them in order, from Past to Future. The first one depicted  _ The World _ , with the number 21 in the top right corner. She flipped to the back and the words  _ change of place, voyage, recompense  _ were listed. The next card read  _ High Priestess _ , numbered two. The back  _ read secrets and mystery, the future yet revealed _ . Luz raised an eyebrow. 

_ Huh. _

When she got to the last card, she immediately understood why Amity had gotten embarrassed earlier. On the frontside  _ The Lovers _ were printed alongside a number five. On the back it read  _ attraction, love, trials overcome _ . She glanced up at Amity, who was still looking away from her.

“Well, your cards are definitely better than mine,” Luz grinned. “Especially that last one. Got a crush on anyone, Blight?”

“No!” Amity huffed in annoyance. “Not that it’s any of your business anyway.”

Amity snatched the cards back from Luz and shoved them to the bottom of her backpack, where she hoped she would soon forget about them.

She wouldn’t.

“Woah,” Luz raised her hands defensively. “Quick grabbers you got there.”

“Whatever, let’s just go,” Amity made to leave but Luz stopped her with a hand on the shoulder.

“Wait, we still have one thing left here to do,” Luz pointed at the machine.

“Oh, so you can read instructions?” Amity scoffed.

Ignoring the snide comment, Luz read the directions out loud. 

“For shared fortunes, two passengers must hold hands while the youngest presses their left palm to the designated area.”

Luz extended her right hand to Amity, and after a moment of hesitation, Amity took it. Luz pressed her left palm to the machine and both watched closely as Selene’s eye glowed green and a single card was spit out of the machine. Luz dropped her hand from Amity’s grasp to pick up the card. Unlike the others, it wasn’t a tarot card. It was blank save for a single sentence written in blood red ink. Amity read it over Luz’s shoulder.

_ Beware of the midnight masquerade, for the Emperor will not have his plan further delayed. _

“Well, that sounds fun,” Luz joked.

A spark of recognition flashed through Amity. While she didn’t initially take the tarot readings they had received very seriously, this particular coincidence was uncanny.

“Do you think this could be referring to the Emperor of the Colosseum Car?”

“Maybe?” Luz shrugged. “But that’s for Future Luz and Amity to worry about!”

Amity was about to object when Luz spoke again.

“Remember!” Luz slapped a closed fist into her palm. “Today’s about having a good time. Now, let’s go play some more games!”

With that, Luz turned and raced off to the nearest booth.

Amity sighed, and pushed thoughts of the fortunes they had been given to the back of her mind, for now.

\---- ---- ----

Amity had lost Luz. 

She couldn’t find her anywhere.

One moment she was grabbing popcorn for the both of them to snack on, and the next Luz was gone. Amity was more irritated than worried. The car thus far had been safe, and it didn’t seem like anything dangerous was going to get the jump on them. If it was, it probably would’ve happened already. Amity ran a hand through her hair as she scanned her surroundings. 

_ Where is she? _

She had spent the last several minutes combing through every inch of the fair, but Luz continued to elude her. She was about to try the restrooms when someone tapped on her shoulder. Amity turned around and was about to scold Luz when she laid eyes on the denizen from the prize booth perched on top of a railing. The cat smirked at her.

“Your  _ friend _ is waiting for you by the ferris wheel,” Without another word, the cat stalked off. 

Amity didn’t like the insinuation of how the cat had said friend, but she focused on the task at hand- finding Luz and giving her a piece of her mind for disappearing without a word.

The ferris wheel wasn’t hard to find. It was the tallest structure in the fair and painted white with multi-colored lights hanging from its frame. Amity spotted Luz leaning against the barrier by the entrance and quickened her pace. Luz noticed her and perked up.

“Hey Amity!” She waved. “Sorry about-”

“What were you thinking?” Amity hissed.

Luz winced.

“Okay, I understand you’re upset-”

“What was so important that you left without letting me know where you were?”

Luz blushed.

“I, uh-”

Amity raised an eyebrow.

“I got stuck in the toilet seat in the bathroom,” Luz replied. “The cat heard me calling for help and got another denizen to pull me free.”

Amity gave her a skeptical look. While the idea of something mortifying happening to Luz wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, judging by how Luz nervously fiddled with her watch as she talked, Amity figured she was probably lying. She decided not to push it for now. 

“Okay,” Amity turned to leave. “We have enough points to leave the car, so I think we should head-”

“Wait!” Luz interrupted her. “Can we go on the ferris wheel, please?”

Amity turned back around and gave the towering ferris wheel a piercing glare before shifting her gaze to Luz.

“No,” Her tone was flat, and left no room for argument.

“Wha-” Luz sputtered. “Why not?”

“I don’t like it.”

Luz gave her an incredulous look.

“It’s a ferris wheel,” She gestured emphatically, as if Amity couldn’t see it. “What’s not to like?”

Amity sighed.

“I don’t like being high up in the air,” She crossed her arms. “It’s uncomfortable.”

Luz nodded in understanding.

“Ah, so you’re afraid of heights.”

“I’m not!” Amity insisted.

“Okay, sure,” Luz smiled. “Don’t worry conejito, I believe you.” 

Amity huffed, rolling her eyes. She highly doubted Luz bought her lie, but decided to move as far away from the conversation topic as possible.

“Well, now that’s settled, let’s go to the prize booth.”

Luz shook her head.

“Not yet, I still want to do one last thing before we leave,” She pointed to another attraction across from where they were standing. “Can we go on that?”

\---- ---- ----

Amity couldn’t believe she had agreed to this.

She was squashed right next to Luz on a seat meant to hold two toddlers, not teenagers. But, for whatever reason, Luz had been adamant on sitting with her on the kiddie train.

They had only been on the train for five minutes, but it already felt like an eternity.

She could feel her legs start to fall asleep from pinched nerves. They were folded awkwardly as to not hang outside the confines of the train. Not a word had been said between the two of them since they first boarded. There was no one else on the ride, and the only sound that could be heard was the chugging of the engine.

“So, did you have a good time today?”

Luz’s voice startled Amity out of her thoughts. Her tone was uncharacteristically shy. Amity decided to make her sweat a little, as payback for being abandoned earlier.

“Eh,” She shrugged. “Could’ve been better.”

“Really?” Luz sounded concerned.

“Yeah,” Amity’s nose wrinkled. “For one, there was no cotton candy.”

“But we had slushies instead!” 

“The tacos weren’t that great,” Amity readjusted so that her legs wouldn’t go entirely stiff. “I’ve had better back home.”

“I thought they were fine,” Luz grumbled.

“The games were way too easy,” Amity added.

“For you maybe!” Luz retorted.

“All in all,” Amity paused for effect. “It was pretty nice actually.”

Seeing Luz’s bewildered face made everything so worth it. Understanding dawned over her eyes. Luz pointed a finger at Amity, who pushed it away from her face.

“You were messing with me!” 

“Maybe, maybe not,” Amity shrugged.

“You were!” Luz insisted.

Amity chuckled at her offended tone. She sounded like a child.

“I was,” Amity conceded.

“Aha! I knew it!” Luz grinned. “Looks like my plan for tonight was a success.”

“Plan?” Amity questioned.

“Yeah!” Luz nodded. “Operation: Blight’s Birthday Bonanza!”

Amity raised an eyebrow.

“Creative name.”

“Thank you!”

“That was sarcasm.”

“Well, I’m taking it as a compliment,” Luz tilted her chin up. “Anyway, my plan isn’t finished yet. There’s one more thing left to do, perhaps the most important of the night!” Luz wiggled her eyebrows mischievously. 

Amity groaned, dreading whatever shenanigan Luz had cooked up next.

“What?” Amity glanced at her from the corner of her eye. “Are you going to sing the birthday song?”

“No, I-” Luz paused. “Actually, I hadn’t even thought about that. It’s a great idea though! Maybe I’ll do it after.”

Amity wished she could escape, but alas, she was strapped in with a seat belt cinched tightly at the waist, and the kiddie train moved quite fast, despite its intended age group.

“So, what is it then?”

“One sec!” In a feat of surprising flexibility, without bending around Luz reached behind for her backpack and pulled out a small brown box from one of the outer pockets. She handed it to Amity, who gaped in disbelief.

The last time she had received an actual gift from a friend on her birthday had been years ago. She never counted the cards stuffed with cash she received in the mail from Skara and Boscha’s well-off families. And when she was younger, the twins would go out of their way to spend time with her and play games, but as they grew older they had become more distant. 

Amity looked up at Luz, who wore an abashed smile.

“Happy Birthday, Amity,” She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “It’s not much, but I hope you like it.”

Amity glanced down at the gift, carefully removing the lid from the box, and her breath caught in her throat. The box held a beautiful magenta pendant on a black chain necklace. She looked from the pendant, to Luz, back to the pendant again. Amity was at a loss for words.

After a few moments of prolonged silence, Luz shifted uneasily in her seat, and that’s what spurred Amity to finally speak up, realizing that she was still waiting for a response.

“Luz, I-” Amity found her throat to be uncomfortably tight. “Thank you, really. You didn’t have to get me a gift, or go out of your way to make sure I had a good time today. I… really appreciate it.” 

Luz beamed, which soon turned into a sly smile.

“So, does that mean I’m allowed to sing you happy birthday now?”

“Um,” Amity felt the blood rush to her face and forced herself to look away from Luz’s bright eyes. “If you want, sure.”

Luz clapped her hands together.

“Sweet!” She nudged Amity playfully on the shoulder. “I’m a little rusty, so hopefully I won’t make your ears bleed.”

Amity’s eyebrows scrunched together.

_ Maybe this was a bad idea after all. _

Luz pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned it on. She fiddled it for a few moments before she found what she was looking for. A song began playing from the speakers, and Amity’s ears perked up as she recognized the sound of mariachi music. Luz soon joined in, nodding her head to the beat as she sang.

_ Estas son las mañanitas, _

_ que cantaba el Rey David, _

_ Hoy por ser el día de tus cumpleaños, _

_ te las cantamos a ti, _

_ Despierta, Amity, despierta, _

_ mira que ya amaneció, _

_ Ya los pajarillos cantan, _

_ la luna ya se metió. _

Luz finished the song with a pair of enthusiastic jazz hands, and shut off the music.

“So?” She rubbed her hands together. “How’d I do?”

Amity could only stare blankly back at her. It was one thing to simply sing someone happy birthday, but what Luz had done made Amity’s mind reel. She played music and went out of her way to sing to her in Spanish. Only one thing bounced to the forefront of Amity’s mind.

_ Did she just… lowkey serenade me? _

Before Amity could fully process that thought, the train horn blasted, signaling the end of their ride. Luz glanced up and unbuckled her seat belt as the train came to a screeching halt.

“Looks like our time’s up!” Luz hopped off the train and stretched out her limbs. She looked back to Amity, who was still frozen in her seat. “Amity, you coming?”

Amity jolted from where she had been staring intently at the gift in her lap.

“Y- Yeah!” Amity hurriedly unbuckled her seat belt and stepped off the train.

As they made their way back to the prize booth, Amity couldn’t help but voice a lingering thought that had been hanging in the back in her mind.

“Why did you sing Las Mañanitas? I thought that was a Mexican birthday song, and you mentioned your mom was from the Domincan-Republic”

What Amity had really wanted to ask was why Luz felt the need to basically serenade her when the regular birthday song would have sufficed, but there was no way she’d be able to muster up the courage to ask her that point blank.

Luz hummed.

“My papi was Mexican,” She rubbed the back of her neck. “He’d always insist on singing it to my mamá and I whenever our birthdays came around. I guess it kinda just stuck after he passed away when I was a kid.”

“Oh.”

Amity wasn’t sure what else to say. Should she express her condolences? Now she felt a bit ridiculous for getting flustered by the song earlier, of course Luz would never mean it in that way. Before she could get another word in, Luz spoke up.

“Um, do you need help putting it on?” Luz twisted her watch. “The pendant I mean.”

Amity looked down to where she was still holding the gift in her right hand. She nodded.

“Uh, sure,” She handed the box to Luz, who took out the pendant and gave the empty box back to Amity. 

Luz stepped behind Amity and lifted the chain around her neck, fumbling a bit with the clasp. After a few seconds, she managed to get it right. Luz stepped away and looked at the pendant now hanging around her friend’s neck.

“It suits you,” Luz smiled.

Amity glanced down at the pendant, running a thumb over the smooth surface before looking up at Luz.

“Thanks,” Amity’s voice cracked, and she internally cursed at herself. 

Luz didn’t seem to notice, turning heel to continue to the prize booth. After collecting herself, Amity fell into step with her. As they neared the booth, Luz spoke up again.

“Y’know, I’ve never had a friend like you before,” Luz spoke softly. “Or any friends really.”

“Really?” Amity raised an eyebrow. 

She was surprised at the revelation. Amity figured Luz’s exuberant personality and positive attitude would mean she would have at least made some friends.

“Yeah,” Luz avoided eye contact with her. “Growing up, I was always the weird one, the outcast, the troublemaker. People either picked on me or avoided me altogether,” Luz sighed. “Not that I don’t blame them, I gave them every reason to.”

Amity stopped in her tracks. Luz continued walking for a few more steps before she noticed Amity wasn’t next to her and turned around, a befuddled expression on her face.

“What?”

“You… You don’t really think that, do you?” Amity was concerned. No one should hold such a negative self-image of themselves, especially someone as kind and sweet as Luz.

“Well, yeah,” Luz shrugged. “What else am I supposed to think?”

Amity clenched her jaw, and balled her fists. If she ever met the assholes who had picked on Luz, she’d give them a piece of her mind. What they had done was unforgivable. It broke her heart that Luz believed she deserved the poor treatment she’d received over the years.

Luz noticed Amity’s darkened expression, and took a step back nervously. When Amity marched towards her and took her by the shoulders, Luz let out an undignified squeak. Amity’s piercing amber eyes were unwavering as she spoke.

“Luz, you’re not any of the things people have made you out to be to justify picking on you,” Her grip on Luz’s shoulders loosened and she dropped her hands to her sides. 

“You don’t have to lie to me Amity,” Luz frowned. “I know I’m weird. That’s why you didn’t like me at first, right?”

Amity faltered for a second, before finding the right words to say.

“Listen, while you didn’t make the best first impression, nearly nailing me with a knife and all, you weren’t the reason for my initial standoffishness,” Amity took a breath. “You didn’t do anything wrong in trying to befriend me. That was on me. I… have trouble opening up to people. And once I stopped shutting you out, I- I got to know you.”

Luz simply gave her a blank look. 

Amity sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before dropping her hand again.

“Luz, you’re kind, selfless, and sweet,” Amity flushed once she realized what she’d said. Nevertheless, she continued. “You’re not weird, you’re… you. And if anyone ever picks on you again for being yourself, don’t listen to them. You’re a far better person than they’ll ever be.”

_ God that was so cheesy. Someone end me now. _

Luz’s face broke out into a wide smile and she tackled Amity in a hug, nearly making her stumble to the ground before she caught herself.

“Thanks Amity. I think I needed to hear that,” Luz whispered in her ear.

Amity felt her heart thud heavily in her chest.

“Of course,” After a moment, she reciprocated the hug. “I was just being honest.”

Luz pulled back from the hug and took a step back.

“Can I ask you a favor?” She rocked back and forth on her feet.

“Sure?” Amity wasn’t sure Luz could want, but she was willing to help.

“Can we speak more in Spanish from now on?” Luz chewed on her lip. “It- it reminds me of home, and my mamá.”

“Oh,” Amity blinked. “Yeah of course.”

Luz beamed.

“Now that’s settled,  ¡ vamanos!”

Luz and Amity made their way to the prize booth. It was only a few feet away when a thought occurred to Amity.

“Wait, where did you even get this from?” Amity held up the pendant questioningly.

“Ah, I-,” Luz swallowed and looked away. “I’ll tell you later.”

Amity’s brows furrowed. 

_ Huh. _

An amusing idea crossed her mind, and she made to move past Luz.

“Está bien, pollito.” 

Luz gave her an indignant squawk. She raised a hand to her chest reproachfully.

“I am not a pollito!” She huffed.

Amity shrugged.

“If you won’t stop calling me conejito, I can call you pollito,” She called over her shoulder.

As Luz fell into step beside her and continued complaining, Amity realized she hadn’t felt this relaxed or comfortable in days. She glanced at Luz out of the corner of her eyes and smiled.

It was a pleasant feeling.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link to birthday song [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDT12zAWDuM)
> 
> Consider this chap a parting gift, before we get to some good ol' angst next time. I'm off to work on finals and will update again by December 30th. In the meantime, feel free to check out my other works!


	13. Down Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Infinity Train? More like Infinity Pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry for the longer than expected wait. I wanted to finish Unspoken Words and my bookclub au (for the Coven of Color Zine coming out February 2021) first. 
> 
> Thanks for 6300+ hits and 325+ kudos! I'm happy y'all are liking the story. Here is chapter 13! Shoutout as always to Theatrical72 for beta reading! They always improve the quality of the chapters with amazing feedback. Enjoy!

Edric scowled at the number on his palm.

198.

It increased by 10 when he left Emira behind. And since then, Edric tried everything he could think of to try and lower it. Picking up stray trash, going out of his way to be nice to denizens, and worst of all-- not pulling any pranks. 

Nothing worked.

But, not being able to lower his number was probably the least of his problems. 

Edric sighed and ran a hand through his hair, further messing up his uncombed tangles. He picked up his feet and continued his way across the bridge to the next car.

Somehow, he had managed to survive the past five days on his own. There had been a few close calls here and there (who knew stuffed animals could be so terrifying?) but he made do with his ability to think on his feet and improvise. 

Still, Edric was alone. And being on his own was not something he was accustomed to, given the fact that he’d pretty much spent his entire life with Emira attached at the hip. From sharing the same classes and friends to attending the same extracurricular activities mandated by their parents, there was hardly anything that they didn’t do together. 

Whether exploring new train cars or running for his life, there had been plenty of moments where Edric had thought of a clever joke to say, only to turn and remember that Emira was no longer with him.

Sometimes, he would wonder how his sister was doing since he left her. Did she miss him? It would take only a few seconds for Edric to shake his head and rid himself of such thoughts. Emira was probably doing much better without him around to mess things up for her. She was probably well on her way to lowering her number and exiting the train.

And who knows? Maybe she would be the one to find Amity and--

Edric paused just as he reached the door to the next car, his hand resting on the handle.

Amity.

It had been three weeks since he’d last seen her-- he couldn’t remember a time where they were separated from each other for so long. He knew that they didn’t have the best relationship in recent years, and the diary incident definitely made things worse than they’d ever been before. 

But he had to admit that he missed having her around, just as he missed Emira. And not just to mess around with. He had fond memories of spending time with both of his siblings. Going out to get ice cream, sneaking out of stuffy parties together, and late night horror movie marathons. They were connected in a way that was necessary to survive their parents’ high expectations and the overall dreariness of Blight Manor. 

Yet, things change. Amity had distanced herself from her older siblings, but not without reason. As they grew older, Edric and Emira stopped including Amity in what they did together. And, the number of pranks and tricks they pulled on her grew and escalated. Emira had been the one to initiate the shift and Edric dutifully followed her, never thinking much of it. 

He couldn’t quite piece together why exactly things played out the way they had, but he felt it would do him no good to ruminate on it. It was done. The only thing he could hope for was that if-- no-- when he saw Amity again, she could find it in herself to forgive him.

The only people he hadn’t thought much of at all were his parents, which showed how great his relationship with them was. Alador Blight was too wrapped up in his work to spend any time with his children, outside of mandatory family obligations. He was distant and almost entirely removed from his life, only checking in periodically about his academics and social standing. His mother was the complete opposite. 

Odalia Blight was close, too close. Controlling and manipulative, she had the all three of the Blight children wrapped around her finger. Always popping into their rooms without so much as a knock on the door to see what they were up to. Mind numbing conversations at the dining table on the importance of an upcoming gala or dinner where they would have to be on their best behavior. And she went as far as making sure he was always, without fail, color-coordinated with Emira. 

The perfect set of twins. Matching hair, eyes, and clothes to boot. 

When Edric glanced down at his yellow sweater, now stained with dirt and grime from falling on his face one too many times yesterday, he was reminded of his mother. She picked out his entire wardrobe. The material was always high quality and comfortable to wear, but just once he wished he could choose something, own something that was his and his alone. He was positive his sister felt similarly. Edric never missed it when Emira’s eye twitched whenever someone made an inevitable twin joke, or Odalia prattled on about how great they looked whenever they wore matching formal wear for an extravagant event.

Yeah.

Leaving Emira had been for the best. 

He had endangered her life one too many times. He was sure if he had stayed with her any longer, something horrible would happen to Em. Edric decided he needed to change, figure out how to operate on his own without hurting those around him. And he couldn’t do that if he continued to travel through the train with her. He would just continue to rely on Emira to help him, as he’d been doing his entire life.

As much as it pained him, this was his first step on the road to becoming independent, and being his own person. He didn’t know who he was outside of ‘Ed and Em.’ 

Edric wanted to find out. 

So, he twisted the handle and stepped inside the car. 

And as the door clicked shut behind him, he was plunged into darkness.

\---- ----- ----

Emira didn’t know what to do with herself. 

Five days.

Five days since Edric had all but abandoned her, and set off by himself through the train. 

It was the longest they had gone without seeing each other in years, not since they were separated for her Girl Scout troop’s week long camping competition back in middle school.

Part of her wondered, isn’t this what she wanted? To not have to worry about her brother angering another denizen, or setting off a creature that would chase them through a car? To be able to have some piece of mind, and move along at a pace that was comfortable for her?

While she couldn’t deny wanting those things, she also couldn’t help but admit that she missed her brother dearly, even if he had been a major pain in the ass ever since they boarded the train.

Because... 

Because now she was alone.

And sure, she could get by on her own. She was extremely intelligent and crafty when she needed to be. 

But the unending silence was unbearable.

Emira was used to exchanging banter with Edric, humoring another one of his corny jokes or plotting their next prank. And even when they didn’t hang out together, she always had plenty of friends on hand to spend time with. Sure, she valued her alone time-- the hours spent in her room reading and listening to music as she worked on homework. Yet, this was different.

While Emira had run into her fair share of denizens in the past few days, making awkward conversation or asking for directions to the exit door simply didn’t cut it. So, resigned to her fate, she dragged her feet through the sand of the Beach Car, the hot sun beating down on her back. She was sweating buckets, and could already feel the beginnings of a sunburn across her arms. Luckily she’d been able to find a discarded floppy hat, which now sat crookedly on her head. 

Emira sighed as she decided to take a break from walking, finding some shade under a nearby palm tree. She leaned against the trunk of the tree and let herself sink down to the ground, feeling out of breath and utterly miserable. She swallowed, her mouth dry, and wished she had some water. Emira wasn’t sure how much longer she’d last without any, especially in this heat. 

Deciding against taking a nap (she already had trouble sleeping at night, and didn’t want to make things any worse for herself), she pulled out her phone and powered it on. It took a few moments, but the screen blinked to life and displayed her home screen. Emira swiped to unlock her phone and opened the photos app. The most recent photo was of Edric grinning as he held up Amity’s diary. The next one was of herself pointing at where they had plastered a page over their sister’s locker. Biting her lip, she deleted both pictures as her stomach churned. 

Emira hadn’t seen Amity in nearly a month, and as more time passed she only felt more guilty for what she and Edric had done the last day they’d seen her. What had started as a plan to teach Mittens a lesson for telling on them (again) for a harmless prank had devolved into something neither of the twins could have ever predicted. Their sister was missing, and the only lead they had was this strange train. Speaking of...

Emira glanced down at her open palm, and clenched her jaw when she noticed the same number from days ago. She tightened her hand into a fist, her fingernails digging into her skin.

199.

Nothing had changed, though she wasn’t surprised at this point. 

It wasn’t like she herself had undergone any change, other than growing more tired and depressed with each passing day. Things had never looked more bleak.

There was no sign of Amity, Edric had left her behind, and her number was stuck.

_ Maybe I’ll take that nap after all. _

Anything would be better than having to deal with the lingering guilt and worry she held for her siblings.

She was the oldest (by six minutes), and growing up she had taken it upon herself to look out for Edric and Amity. It had started by holding their hands when they crossed the street, heading to one of the galas for the family business. Once there, she would slap Edric’s hand and stop him from getting syrup from the chocolate fountain all over himself. Emira would notice Amity’s nervous ticks and give her hand a reassuring squeeze whenever they had to talk to their parents’ associates.

They used to be so close, stepping in to help whenever one of them slipped up. Emira distinctly remembered her mother harshly scolding a young Amity who had gotten an unacceptable grade back on a pop quiz (it was a B-) and Edric didn’t hesitate to knock over one of Odalia’s prized vases. And when their mother had turned on her brother, Emira had interjected, insisting that it had been an accident and that she would help clean up the mess.

Emira stared at a photo of them from years ago. Their mother had fallen ill during a winter break trip to Big Bear, and their father had taken them out to play in the snow. Edric was flashing a peace sign, smiling wide as he held up bunny ears behind her head. Meanwhile, she had picked up Mittens so she could place the final touch on their snowman- a small stone for a nose. 

That day had been incredibly cold, and it showed on the red that blossomed over the Blight siblings’ flushed cheeks. Yet, Emira didn’t recall complaining about her numb fingers and toes. She had just been happy to spend the day with Mittens and Edric.

The Blight siblings used to look out for each other. 

That is, until she had gone and ruined everything.

Emira sighed, and turned off her phone, shoving it back into her pocket. It wasn’t easy, but she managed to push the old memories to the back of her mind, where they would remain, for now.

After some time, her eyes slipped shut and she drifted off to sleep.

\---- ---- ----

Edric was terrified. 

He was doing his best not to panic, but how could he not?

He couldn’t see anything. He was just stumbling around in the dark, cursing his shit luck.

Edric highly doubted that a car that was pitch black held anything good inside. And that wasn’t even mentioning his fear of the dark, which had faded as he had grown up but was now back in full force. His hands were shaking, and goosebumps traveled up and down his arms as he slowly shuffled forward.

He feared making noise by calling out for help. He didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention to himself, he had already learned that lesson. So, he settled for making tentative, small steps forward, hoping that he would soon find the exit door.

“Hey kid.”

Edric screamed, and his arms pinwheeled backwards as he fell to the ground. He heard the sound of laughter, which was promptly cut off with a hiss of pain.

“Ow!” There was some muffled grumbling. “Don’t pinch me, your claws are sharp.”

“You didn’t need to do that, it was mean.”

“Eh, he’ll live.”

Edric’s throat felt dry, he could feel his hands tremble.

“Wh- Who are you?”

A golden circle was drawn in the air in front of him, and a ball of light formed from it. His eyes watered and he blinked to readjust to his brightened surroundings. An older woman with silver gray hair, wearing a hooded cloak appeared before him. She was holding a tall wooden staff with an owl figurehead. A dog-like creature with yellow-pink eyes and a broken horn was sitting on her shoulder, looking at him curiously. The creature didn’t hesitate to rise to his feet.   
  


“I am the King of Demons!”

The woman rolled her eyes.

“I’m Eda, that’s King. Also, before you start babbling about how I did that,” She pointed to the light orb. “I’m from the Witch Car, so I can do magic,” She turned and began walking away. “Follow us if you want to get out of here,” She called over her shoulder.

The light orb traveled with the woman, and not wanting to be left alone in the dark, Edric scrambled to his feet and quickly followed them.

“Th- thank you for helping me,” Edric said as he fell into step beside Eda.

Eda chuckled.

“Don’t thank me yet. I picked you up because I need you to do something for me.”

Edric’s heart rate picked up.

“What? What is it?”

Eda waved a hand in the air.

“Ah, nothing much. I just need you to infiltrate an underground meeting of the Apex and tell me everything you hear.”

_ Apex?  _

The same Apex Perry had mentioned right after he nearly destroyed the Unfinished Car?

If the Apex was involved with that murderous denizen, Edric wanted nothing to do with them.

“I’ll pass,” Edric shook his head. “I already nearly died dealing with them before.”

Eda hummed.

“So you don’t like them either. That’s a plus,” Eda slapped him hard on the back, making him jump. “But don’t act like you actually have a choice in the matter. If you want to get out of this car, you’ll do as I say. Otherwise,” Eda flashed him with a fanged grin. “King and I will happily leave you stranded here.”

Edric flinched. As much as he dreaded the thought of dealing with the Apex, whatever they were, being on his own in this car was much worse. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

“Okay, I’ll do it.”

“Great!” Eda dropped her staff and it floated, suspended in midair. She side straddled it, and motioned him over. “Get on, we have no time to waste.”

Edric reluctantly sat on the staff and let out a yelp as the staff took off at a frightening speed.

“Oh yeah, don’t fall off. If you break a leg, you’ll be far less useful.”

Edric tightened his grip on the staff, and closed his eyes.

_ Oh god. _

\---- ---- ----

Emira’s skin burned.

The wind whipped across her face and her arms flared with pain. She bit her lip as she opened the door leading to the next train car. Hopefully she could find something soon to treat her sunburns. Otherwise, the next several hours would be extremely uncomfortable.

As the door clicked shut behind her, Emira’s eyes widened as she took in the new car. It looked like the inside of a Costco, except instead of shelves stocked with a wide variety of items, TV screens of varying shapes and sizes lined the aisles in every direction. Some were broken, shattered glass littering the floor. Others were tuned to a random channel, or simply turned off. As she made her way through the car, Emira couldn’t help but pause here and there to watch the screens.

Unsurprisingly, there were quite a few commercials playing on repeat.

A woman scrubbed shampoo into her hair, and in the next shot she posed for the camera.

“ Because You're Worth It.”

A young child sneaked past his dad to steal a bag of Lays from the kitchen cabinet.

“Betcha Can't Eat Just One!”

Emira snorted, rolling her eyes as she continued down the aisle. She stopped one more time in front of a cracked screen where a familiar ad was playing. A girl was seated at a cafeteria table, eating a PB&J sandwich while frowning. Suddenly, her friend slid a milk box towards her, and the girl’s eyes lit up.

“Got Milk?”

Emira felt her stomach twist, as a memory buried deep in the recesses of her mind came to the fore.

“Ed! I told you that milk was bad for you!” Emira groaned.

Edric looked up from the toilet bowl, his face drawn in a sour expression.

“But it tasted so good with the cookies!” He covered his mouth as he gagged, and turned back to the toilet bowl to empty out the rest of the contents of his stomach.

Emira’s nose curled at the putrid smell that filled the air.

“Doesn’t taste great now, does it?”

Emira ran a hand over her face to shake off the memory. They had been ten years old, and Edric at the time fruitlessly resisted his lactose intolerance. Thinking of her brother’s ridiculous antics usually brought a smile to her face, but now it only made her heart clench. She was the reason Edric had split off on his own. She had driven him away from her, just like she had done with Amity years ago.

Emira was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t notice the denizen in front of her before she bumped into them, jarring herself back to reality as she stumbled.

“Oh, sorry!”

The denizen didn’t respond, and rushed past her down the aisle. She was ready to shrug the incident off, but it wasn’t long until another denizen rounded the corner, chasing him.

“Give me my staff back, you wretched piece of-”

Emira’s eyes widened as she jumped out of the way to avoid being trampled. She watched with a perplexed look as the denizen raced after the alleged thief. Once they disappeared from sight, she shook her head in disbelief.

“Ed, can you believe that-” 

She turned to her left, expecting to see her brother, only to be reminded of the fact that she was alone. Her voice died in her throat and Emira whipped her head away, facing forward once more. She paused in her steps for a moment before continuing on through the car. 

It took another hour of walking, but Emira finally made it to the exit door. It was situated in the wall of the car, about thirty feet up. She sighed and pinched her nose in frustration.

“How the hell am I supposed to get up there?”

As if the car had heard her, the sound of crackling static filled the air as a plasma screen TV rose from a hidden slot in the floor, towering above her. Next to the TV was a black remote placed on a small table, and a leather couch faced the large screen. Curious, Emira picked up the remote to turn on the TV. 

“Hey! Don’t push my buttons!”

Emira yelped and fumbled the remote in her hands, nearly dropping it before her shaky hands finally regained a grip on it. She held the remote as far away from herself as possible, and listened as a squeaky voice emitted from its speaker.

“Thank you,” The remote huffed. “The name’s Rey, and I’m the only way you’re getting out of this car. First off, don’t touch my buttons again without asking.”

Emira nodded slowly, still processing the fact that she was communicating with a talking remote.

“Uh, sorry about that,” She cleared her throat. “So, what do I need to do?”

“Watch TV,” Static crackled over the speaker as Rey chuckled. “Not just any TV though. Your own memories. This TV has the memory tape of all passengers uploaded to it, so when you turn it on and type your passenger number in you’ll be all set.”

“Memory tape?” Emira questioned.

“As part of processing when you first board the train, your memories are examined by the conductor’s assistants. That’s how they assign your passenger number.”

Emira’s eyebrows furrowed. One-One hadn’t brought this up in passenger orientation, though she supposed he had no reason to since knowing about it wouldn’t help her. 

“Okay, that sounds easy enough.”

At this, Rey burst into loud laughter. Emira fidgeted as he finally managed to rein in his chuckles and pull himself together.

“Oh, you have no idea kid,” Rey hummed. “You will be presented with a memory that is integral to the formation of your number, so it won’t be all butterflies and rainbows. You’ll probably see something unpleasant, if previous passengers’ experiences are anything to go by.”

Emira pressed her lips together.

“Great.”

“And that’s not all,” Rey continued. “You must not allow yourself to become a couch potato.”

Emira couldn’t help but laugh.

“A what?”

“This is no laughing matter,” Rey chided. “Once you begin watching the replay of your memory, you will have to hold yourself together and overcome the force of the memory. Otherwise you will become potatofied, and consumed by the couch.”

Emira blinked.

“You’re... You have to be shitting me, right?”

“I’m not.”

“Shit.”

“Shit indeed,” Rey agreed.

“Can’t I just get rid of the couch?” She asked, hopeful. 

“No. One of the conditions is that you be seated on the couch as you watch the tape.”

Emira bit her lip. 

This was bad.

Really bad.

Her number hadn’t lowered in the almost two weeks she’d been on the train. It was unlikely that it would change for the better now, especially if she hadn’t before.

“Is there anything I can do to help myself, or prepare?” She was growing desperate and already dreading the oncoming TV session.

“Not that I know of,” Static crackled and popped as Rey paused. “If it makes you feel any better, 60% of passengers that have endured this trial managed to pass.”

“Leaving a sizable chunk of them as potatoes,” Em said, her voice glum.

Rey ignored her last comment and continued.

“When you are ready, press the power button and punch in your passenger number.”

Rey fell silent, leaving Emira to stare blankly at the TV in front of her, her grip on the remote steadily tightening. She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, until a small TV nearby crackled to life, snapping her out of her shocked induced stupor. She walked over to the couch, and eyed it for a moment before sitting down on the edge, feeling more uncomfortable than ever. 

Emira glanced from the remote to the TV. She noticed her hands trembling but did nothing to try and stop them. There was nothing she could do to avoid the task at hand. Unlike so many times before, where she’d been able to get out of doing things through her own manipulation and planning, there was no escaping this. Because there was nowhere to go in the train but forward. Especially if she wanted to find Edric again, and maybe, just maybe, find Amity. 

Emira turned on the TV, and as the memory tape began to play, her eyes glazed over. 

\---- ---- ----

“We’re here.”

Edric opened his eyes as Eda descended to the ground. Everything was pitch black, save for the light orb that hovered over their heads and lit their immediate surroundings. His legs almost gave out under him when he stepped onto the ground. Eda caught him by the arm, and held him upright.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Eda dropped her hand. “Now’s where the fun begins.”

“Uh...” Edric glanced around, but there was no sign of anyone besides them. “Are you sure we’re in the right place?”

King huffed.

“Of course we are! Don’t doubt Eda’s skills,” King crossed his arms. “Like I’d stick around anyone who wasn’t up to snuff.”’

Eda rolled her eyes.

“Yes, we are,” Eda tapped her staff on the ground, and the outline of a door appeared on the ground in front of them, highlighted in neon green. “I used a tracking spell to find this place.”

Edric furrowed his eyebrows.

“If you were able to find this place without me, I don’t get why you need my help.”

Eda sighed.

“The Apex is after me. I’ve got wanted signs hanging in every car that has sworn their allegiance to their cause, and this car is no exception. Normally, I can handle them just fine. But, I don’t want Belos to know that I’m on his trail. I want to catch him off guard.”

“Who’s Belos?”

Eda groaned and ran a hand over her face.

“The leader of the Apex,” She placed a hand on her hip. “Now enough with all the questions. There should be a meeting going on right now with some of his allies. Gather as much information as you can, especially regarding his whereabouts, and come back here without being detected.”

Edric nodded.

“And remember, if you do get exposed, I’m not coming to save you. You’re on your own.”

Edric clenched his hands into balled fists.

“Seriously?! I’m about to risk my life to help you and that’s it?”

Eda shrugged.

“Don’t take it personally kid. Everyone’s gotta do their own thing to get by on this train. I’m no different.”

“Fine,” Edric grumbled. “Not like I have a choice anyway.”

Eda gestured to the door, and Edric kneeled down and tried the handle. It was locked.

“What now?”

Eda twirled a finger in the air, drawing a golden spell circle. A moment later, the door clicked and swung open. Edric saw the beginnings of stairs leading down into inky darkness. Goosebumps prickled the back of his neck.

“I- I can’t see anything.”

“Ah, right,” Eda drew another spell circle in the air, and Edric’s eyes began glowing. Now he could see clearly around him, it was exactly like night vision. 

“Woah.”

“Yeah, yeah, magic,” Eda waved a hand in the air. “It’ll only last for half an hour or so, so you should get going.”

Edric took a shaky breath, and took a step down the staircase before pausing.

“Got cold feet?” King asked, still hanging from Eda’s shoulder.

“N- No,” Edric stammered.

He turned away from them and steeled himself before taking another step. He focused on his feet as he continued down the staircase, until the light from Eda’s light orb faded and the only thing he could see was the tunnel in front of him. Eventually, he reached the bottom of the staircase, where the tunnel stretched out into the distance with no end in sight. After taking a moment to calm his nerves, Edric began walking forward, keeping his ears pricked in case he heard anything. 

He wasn’t sure how much time had elapsed until he began to hear people speaking, their voices growing louder as he continued down the tunnel. He slowed his steps, and cautiously made his way over to a door that had appeared out of the darkness, thanks to his magically induced night vision. It was closed, but the sounds of loud conversation could be heard clearly, despite being ten feet away. Edric decided to stay as far from the door as possible. If he needed to make a run for it, a head start would be nice.

“I see Tibbles couldn’t make it today, the little runt.”

“After that humiliating kidnapping in the Black Market car? He’s probably licking his wounds.”

Laughter.

“Well, no use for waiting on him then. Let’s begin.”

“Begin what Adegast? You haven’t told us why it was so important we meet today?”

“If you let me  _ finish _ , I could explain why I called this meeting-”

“Why here? This car fucking blows.”

“Language, Wrath.”

“Shut up Piniet. It’s not like you have a way with words. How’s your newest book doing? Oh wait, it was rejected for publication. Ha.”

“Excuse me?! I will have you know that-”

“I think it would be best if we redirected the conversation back to the task at hand. The Emperor has finalized his plans for the upcoming Day of Unity.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Steve.”

“Wow.”

“As I was saying, the Day of Unity will take place in two weeks. The Emperor will muster his forces in the Colosseum Car, and use a device procured from the Engine Room to move the car to the front of the train. There he will usurp One-One, and take his rightful place as conductor.”

“What about the passengers?”

“I’m getting there, Steve.”

“As for the passengers, once Belos has taken control of the Passenger Preparation Car, he will be able to rewrite their numbers to zero, effectively sending them back to where they came from in one fell swoop.”

“Sounds easy to me.”

“It will be, as long as everything goes according to plan in the Masquerade Car.”

Edric’s breath caught in his throat. 

They... The Apex was trying to get rid of passengers? 

Wasn’t that a good thing?

Now he could stop worrying about his number, and go home, right?

“Until the Day of Unity, we must continue sowing seeds of discord between denizens and passengers to ensure that there is no interference with our plans. The less opposed denizens are to passengers leaving, the better they will adjust to Belos’ rise to power.”

“So, can we kill them?” Steve asked.

Edric’s heart stopped.

“The passengers?” Wrath snorted. “I don’t see why not. They’re a waste of space anyway. It’ll make it easier to be rid of them once and for all as well.”

“No. It will be far more productive to first and foremost influence passengers to harm, or work against denizens. After the denizens lose trust in passengers, you may do what you will.”

“That’s pretty cruel, even for you Adegast,” Piniet remarked.

Edric felt like throwing up. The tensions between denizens and passengers would worsen until the Day of Unity. His sisters were in danger. They could be killed!

Suddenly a hand clamped hard on his shoulder, and pushed him against the wall with a grunt. Edric was pinned, a gloved hand over his mouth stifling his screams.

“Now, what do we have here?”

A guard wearing a beaked mask and a white cloak leaned in, examining Edric’s panicked features.

“An eavesdropping passenger? How troublesome. Can’t have the boss finding out I left my post, so I’ll have to take care of you now.”

Edric squirmed in his tightening grasp, to no avail. The guard raised his fist and swiftly knocked out Edric. He lifted him in a fireman’s carry and walked deeper into the tunnel. 

\---- ---- ----

Emira opened her eyes.

She was back at Blight Manor.

For a moment, she let herself believe she was really back. 

But something caught the corner of her eye. She saw a younger version of herself, maybe 12 years old. She was setting up another prank, holding a transparent spring and watching the front door behind an armchair. Emira’s eyes traveled to the other end of the spring, her stomach twisting because she remembered this moment clearly. 

The door swung open, triggering the string as a bucket of paint suspended over the door tipped over and spilled all over a ten year old Amity Blight. Emira watched her younger self barely able to contain her giggles as Amity sputtered and stared at the now fallen paint can in disbelief. Then, Edric appeared from around the corner reaching into a bag to toss feathers onto Amity, completing the look.

Young Emira sprung up behind the couch.

“Welcome home, Mittens!” 

Edric grinned.

“Did we manage to ruffle your feathers?”

Both Emiras groaned. Ed’s cringeworthy sense of humor had always been a near constant in her life.

“I- You-” Amity looked to be on the verge of tears. “I hate you both!”

Amity pushed past her siblings and stormed up the stairs, leaving a trail of wet green paint behind her. Both siblings burst into loud laughter, and Emira looked on, feeling utterly ashamed.

It had been around this time that the frequency and severity of the pranks the twins pulled on Amity began to increase, and once Emira remembered the reason why, she wanted to kick the younger version of herself for her stupidity. 

As if sensing her emotional distress, the scene before her shifted. Everything blurred to black and white static, before reforming into Amity’s bedroom. Emira recalled this memory clearly. It was perhaps the most one of the more disturbing ones that had the pleasure of lingering in the back of her mind.

A 11 year old Emira snuck into the room, opening the door slowly to make sure Amity wasn’t inside. Once the coast was clear, she barged in, making her way to Amity’s closet.

“Where is it? I know she has it!”

Emira rolled her eyes. She had been so convinced Amity had stolen her phone for a prank involving hot sauce in her breakfast smoothie. She had actually misplaced it in her room, but her younger self didn’t know any better. There was the sound of footsteps in the hallway, and young Emira stepped into the closet and closed the door to hide inside. 

Amity walked through the door, closing it behind her. She made a beeline for her desk, a fresh new set of color pencils in hand. Young Emira peered through the slats in the door and grumbled. Amity could keep herself entertained for hours. She could be stuck there for a while. She settled in and watched her sister sit down at her desk and begin drawing.

Her tongue was stuck out in concentration, and she kicked her feet as she erased a line to redraw it correctly. Emira had been standing there for a few minutes, watching her sister work away with a cheerful expression until a knock at the door startled her.

“Come in!” Amity called over her shoulder.

Odalia Blight stepped into the room. Her nose curled as she noticed the unmade bed, and Amity’s position at her desk.

“Darling, why have you not tidied up your room as I requested an hour ago?”

Amity finally turned away from her drawing, and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

“Sorry Mom. I kinda got caught up drawing again.”

Odalia pinched her nose in irritation.

“Well, do it now. Before I throw that notebook in the trash.”

Amity jumped to her feet and moved towards her bed, making it as quickly as possible. Odalia watched with her arms crossed as Amity smoothed the sheets and fluffed the pillows.

“Done!” Amity smiled.

Odalia nodded, face expressionless.

“Good. Now, while the upkeep of your bedroom is important, that is not why I came here. I believe it’s time for a change.”

“Huh?” Amity furrowed her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“You siblings already color-coordinate,” Odalia placed a hand on her hip. “It is past time you join them. The upcoming family portrait is the perfect opportunity for you to do so.”

Amity brightened.

“Oh! Wow! So we get to match outfits! What colors will we be wearing-”

Odalia raised a hand to silence Amity’s rambling, and her mouth snapped shut.

“What did I say about speaking before you’re addressed?”

“It is unbecoming of a Blight,” Amity mumbled, looking down at her feet.

Emira watched from across the room, her hands balled into fists.

“Indeed. Now, as I was saying, rather than clothes, I think it would be good for you to dye your hair.”

Although Odalia phrased it as a suggestion, Emira knew it was an order.

“Oh...” Amity shifted on her feet. “But I like my hair. And I already match with dad!” 

Odalia pressed her lips into a thin line.

“This isn’t about your father. This is about setting a good image for our family,” Odalia took a step towards Amity. “You may choose the shade, but it must be green to match with the twins.”

Amity still looked unsure. She rocked back and forth on her feet.

“Hopefully, this will also encourage you to be more like them. Your latest grades in school have been disappointing, to say the least. The twins have never scored below an A in their classes. Yet, you managed a B in science.”

“I’m sorry,” Amity avoided her mother’s gaze. “I- I was just sad about Willow leaving. It was hard to focus on studying for our last quiz.”

Odalia scowled.

“Enough about that girl! She is gone now. Although her fathers could have been useful social connections to the food industry, any ties to them now are all but useless since their relocation upstate,” Odalia’s voice took an especially cold tone. “Forget about her, and focus on yourself. To be a Blight is to hold yourself in regard above others.”

“But she’s my best friend!” Amity protested.

“Not anymore,” Odalia’s eyes hardened. “And you have other friends, like Skara and Boscha to keep you company. I will not tolerate any further discussion on this matter,” She turned towards the door. “Come now. We need to make a trip to purchase dye for your hair.”

Odalia walked out the door without another word, leaving a teary eyed Amity gripping her skirt tightly. Amity sniffled as she tucked away her drawing, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall, before following her mother out the door.

Young Emira stumbled out of the closet, eyes widened at what she’d just witnessed. She was frozen in the middle of the room, staring blankly at the open door. A few minutes later, Edric popped his head in the room.

“Hey Em! Have you seen my toothbrush? I can’t find it-” He stopped as he noticed Emira’s expressionless face. “What’s wrong?”

Young Emira blinked.

“I- I, um,” She shook her head. “Nothing. Let’s go find your dumb toothbrush.”

She left the room quickly, and Edric trailed behind her, taking his sister at her word, as he always did. 

That day, things had forever changed for the Blight siblings.

Static crackled and popped, and her surroundings shifted once more. This time, to their middle school. Young Emira and Edric were seated at a lunch table with their friends. Edric called out to Amity as she entered the lunchroom.

“Hey Mittens! You forgot your lunch again!” Edric held up a pink bunny lunchbox, making the teens around him snicker. 

Across the room, Amity’s eyes narrowed. She made her way over to them, and snatched her lunch out of her brother’s hands. She turned away and stalked off without another word.

“Wow, your sister’s cold.” 

“Yeah, she hasn’t always been like that, but it’s probably just puberty or something,” Edric shrugged. 

Emira elbowed him.

“Shut up Ed.”

“Yeah!” Another one of their friends chimed in. “She might just be having a bad day... Y’know, I never noticed it before but she looks a lot like you two! Especially with the new hair.”

Young Emira flinched, but said nothing. Edric waved a hand in the air.

“Yeah, she’s probably trying to be more like us, cause we’re so cool,” He nudged Emira on the shoulder. “Right?”

“...Right,” Emira muttered.

The memory faded, and Emira was left in a suspended state where multiple memories were blended together. Her head began to buzz, a dull throbbing manifesting behind her eyes.

“Hey! You’re one of the Blight twins right?”

“Children, smile for the camera. And Emira, fix your hair. It’s a mess.”

“Are you sure about this Em?”

“Yeah, we need to teach Mittens a lesson about tattling on us.”

“Emira, as the oldest you must set a proper example for your siblings. That is why I expect so much from you, understand?”

“Why did you do this to me?”

The aching turned into head splitting pain. Emira cried out as she collapsed to the floor, memories of the past overwhelming her.

“It wasn’t Edric’s fault! I swear! I can help him clean up.”

“Your sister is so serious, I have no idea how you two are related.”

“That prank was hilarious! Did you see the look on Mittens’ face?”

“It must be nice, having siblings. I hate being an only child, it’s soo boring."

“Emira, I need you to watch Amity at school and ensure she remains focused on her studies.”

“You’re probably better off without me.”

Tears fell from Emira’s eyes as she curled into a ball on the floor.

“Amity... Edric... I am so sorry,” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I failed you both.”

The memories swirled around her, turning into indiscernible, loud chatter. Emira covered her ears, and watched as the black and white static spread from one memory to the other. The static began to travel up her legs, but she didn’t notice. Her eyes slipped shut, and she lost herself in the agony of reliving past mistakes over and over again.

Ever since that dreadful day, Emira had done her best to ensure Mittens never turned out like her or her brother. Emira distanced Amity from them, pulling mean-spirited pranks to soil their once close-knit relationship. Edric followed along, thinking they were just all in good fun, with no harm done. The pranks were initially meant to draw her mother’s attention away from Amity, so she wouldn’t be so hard on her, but they never worked out as planned. They either got away with them, or their parents would leave them with a slap on the wrist and nothing more. As long as their grades and social standing were maintained, nothing else mattered.

And Emira knew better to tamper with either of those things.

So, the pranks devolved into mindless enjoyment, to escape the boredom of school and monotony of hapless friends. Amity grew more and more bitter when she saw her siblings getting away with things she would be crucified for. And Emira was okay with it. The less Amity liked them, the more likely it was she would leave at 18 and get away from their family before they could hurt her even more. She deserved better.

And all the while, Emira did her best to look out for her brother, pulling him out of trouble when he got in over his head, and covering for him when it came to dealing with their parent’s wrath. Emira knew that no matter what, they had to be the ones to carry the Blight family name. There was no way she was leaving that burden to Amity. She had to make sure Edric stayed on their parents’ good side, so they could take over the family business together. 

Emira felt her legs and arms go numb, and the feeling slowly spread to her chest. She didn’t care as it caused the pain in her head to lessen. She could feel herself beginning to slip away, losing consciousness.

That is, until someone poured a cold cup of water over her head. 

Emira sat up from the couch, sputtering and blinking the water from her eyes as she regained her bearings.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

She rubbed her eyes and took in the woman before her. It was the denizen from earlier, who had chased after that thief. She was holding a white staff with a raven figurehead. Her eyebrows creased in concern as she took in Emira’s appearance.

“How do you feel?”

Emira’s throat was dry.

“Not good.”

The woman nodded.

“I expected as much. Come with me, it is best we get out of here as soon as possible.”

Emira hesitated. 

Who the hell was this woman?

Sure, it seemed like she had saved her from potatofication, but she didn’t have the best track record with denizens.

“Uh...”

The woman sighed.

“My name is Lilith. I’m from the Witch Car,” She grabbed Emira’s hand and pulled her to her feet, supporting her as the teen wobbled. “The Apex has arrived to destroy this car. We must leave now.”

Emira pushed the witch away, and nearly flopped back onto the couch. She somehow managed to stay upright.

“How... How do I know I can trust you?” Emira took a shaky breath. “For all I know, you could be with them.”

Lilith’s eyes softened.

“My apologies Emira, but you will have to take me at my word,” She dropped her staff and it hovered horizontally in the air. “And if you’re anything like Amity, this staff ride will be extremely uncomfortable. I don’t think she liked flying high up, as much as she tried to hide it.”

Emira’s eyes widened.

“Wh- What?” She covered her mouth with a hand. “How do you know Amity?”

Lilith sighed. 

“I met your sister some time ago, we traveled together on the train until we had to part ways some days ago. I recognized her from your memory tape, before I woke you up.”

“Oh...” 

Emira didn’t know what to say. She was relieved Amity was alive, but worried that she was likely still on the train. And she had no idea what to make of this mysterious denizen. Lilith looked like she was mulling something over, looking off to the distance before meeting Emira’s eyes again.

“I can help you find her.”

Emira jolted.

“Really?”

Lilith nodded.

“Yes, if that is what you desire.”

Emira was left open mouthed, gaping like a fish out of water. After days on the train with no hope in sight, this woman had appeared out of nowhere, saved her life, and was now offering to help find Amity. She could hardly believe it. It felt too good to be true, but there was no way this denizen had been able to discern Amity’s fear of heights from the memories jumbled together on the TV screen. 

“Okay, let’s do it,” Emira tried to sound confident, but her voice cracked. 

An explosion rocked the entire car, and Emira saw plumes of dark smoke begin to rise from the entrance of the car. They were running out of time. She took a breath, and sat behind Lilith, holding onto her coat with a tight grip. The staff rose in the air, and shot through the now open exit door. As they sailed across the Wasteland, Lilith broke the awkward silence.

“I didn’t know Amity had any siblings.”

Emira flinched, though she didn’t know why she was so surprised. 

Of course Amity wouldn’t bring them up. 

What was there to say?

“She... She never mentioned us?”

“No,” Lilith hummed. “Though to be fair, she was rather quiet.”

Lilith’s words only served to make the guilt Emira was carrying weigh heavier on her shoulders. Emira said nothing else, and the wind whistling through her ears was the only sound to be heard for miles.

\---- ---- ----

Edric woke with a grunt of pain when he was dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. He blinked his eyes open, and his heart stuttered when he realized he couldn’t see anything. Not even his own hands. Eda’s magic had finally worn off.

“We have arrived,” The denizen who captured him knelt down in front of Edric. Their eyes glowed in the darkness, narrowed into slits as they examined him. “This is where you should have ended up to begin with. Good riddance.”

The denizen rose to their feet and padded off, leaving Edric in the dark.

Edric just sat there for a few minutes, not knowing what to do with himself. He contemplated, briefly, getting up and trying to find a way to get out of the car, but his fear gave in. He wrapped his arms around himself, limbs trembling as he receded into himself. Edric let out a shaky breath, and sweat beaded his brow as he tried to hold himself together.

A deep voice echoed in his ears, making him flinch.

_ You are alone. _

Tears gathered at the corner of his eyes, and he barely restrained a sob. Whispers filled his ears, sending shivers down his spine. 

“It’s a shame he isn’t as socially competent as Emira.”

“Why did you do it?”

“You ruined everything, again.”

_ How does it feel? To be nothing but a disappointment to those around you. _

Edric’s breath hitched, and tears began streaming down his face. He punched the ground over and over again, until his knuckles started to bleed. He let out a strangled yell before collapsing to the ground, utterly spent. 

Laughter pierced the air, and his chest ached as the whispers continued invading his ears. 

_ Well, you didn’t put up much of a fight. How dull. _

An amorphous black blob rolled over to Edric, taking shape as a mirror reflection of himself. It snapped its fingers, conjuring a red light orb similar to Eda’s. Edric’s body tensed, and he watched his double smile at him.

“What was it that mother always said? To be a Blight is to hold yourself in regard above others?” The denizen toed the ground thoughtfully, before meeting his eyes. “Looks like you have no regard for others, or even yourself. How pitiful.”

The denizen snapped his fingers again, and Edric was surrounded in a ring of fire that slowly closed on him. His eyes widened.

“Pl- Please stop,” He pleaded. “Why are you doing this?”

“Hmm. What was it you said to your youngest sister,” The denizen tapped their chin thoughtfully. “Ah, yes. Why not?”

The denizen burst into laughter again, leaving an increasingly frantic Edric behind as he stalked off. Smoke filled the air, and he began coughing. He could barely breathe. His throat burned, and he struggled to stay conscious. Edric wheezed as the flames around him grew higher, the heat scorching his skin.

His vision blurred, and he swore he saw a familiar figure through the flames. Before he had time to figure out whether or not he was hallucinating, Edric passed out.

\---- ---- ----

“Why didn’t you just leave him?”

“If the Apex went out of their way to dispose of him, that means he did his job and got some valuable information from their meeting,” Eda replied as she set Edric down on the ground. “Also, we need a passenger to open this exit door. Otherwise, we’d be stuck here for a while. Unfortunately magic doesn’t work on them.”

“I mean, I’m glad you saved him,” King padded over to Edric and poked him on the cheek. “I was just surprised, is all.”

“Don’t be,” Eda crossed her arms. “I’m not completely cruel. I’d never stoop down to Belos’ level. I don’t like passengers, but that doesn’t mean I hate them like he does.”

King prodded Edric until he finally woke up.

“Wh- Where?” His voice faltered.

“We’re at the exit door kid,” Eda sighed. “How are you feeling? Can you speak?”

Edric nodded his head.

“Yeah,” He croaked. “But I think I need water.”

Eda drew a spell circle in the air, conjuring a glass of water. She handed it to Edric, who gulped it down quickly, water dribbling down his chin. He took a few more breaths before speaking again.

“Thank you,” He coughed. “Belos is planning something important at the  Masquerade Car.”

Eda waved a hand nonchalantly.

“It was nothing,” She dropped her staff and it hovered in the air. “Let’s get out of here before the Apex comes after us. You can tell us more of the details on the way to the next car.”

Edric’s eyes widened.

“You mean I-?”

Eda rolled her eyes.

“You’re alright kid. You can come with us as far as the Masquerade Car.”

“If you bow before me now!” King declared. Eda swatted him and he let out a mangled “Nyeh!”

“Are you sure?” Edric looked away. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Eda huffed. “If you feel like you weigh others down, you just have to learn to pick yourself back up. Like me,” She flashed him with a grin.

Edric smiled for the first time in days, and climbed onto the staff. He thought he had to get through the train by himself, as a way to make amends for how badly he had messed up things with his siblings. But if this car had taught him anything, it was that the train was not something that could be faced alone. 

Even Eda, powerful as she was, traveled with her friend.

He had no idea what lay ahead, but at least he was no longer on his own.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/godless_glasses), [tumblr](https://lexa-alycia.tumblr.com), [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/godless.glasses/)


	14. String of Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The string may tangle, it may stretch, but it will never break."  
> -Juvy Ann

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for 7k+ hits and 360+ kudos! This chapter was fun to write, albeit a bit challenging. It was going to be longer but I had to save the fun (read: major angst) for next chap. Look out for an Easter egg from "A Whisper Away" and inspiration drawn from Rick Riordan's books. Enjoy!

“Did I ever tell you about the time I bit my tío?”

Amity choked on her lemonade.

“Y-You what?”

Luz laughed as Amity sputtered, nearly spilling her drink all over herself. One of their denizen companions, Gizmo the teddy bear, patted Amity comfortingly on the shoulder.

It’d been five days since they’d left the Lucky Cat car. Luz’s number had decreased from 105 to 95 while Amity’s dropped from 110 to 100. She figured it had to do with their conversation after they’d disembarked from the train ride. 

Since then, Luz and Amity had passed through several cars, including the Bubble Car and Carrot Car. They had run into their fair share of dangerous situations and odd mishaps, but for the most part things had gone surprisingly smoothly. 

Amity’s personal favorite had been the Movie Theater car, where Luz had fallen asleep on her shoulder during a showing of  _ Love Actually _ . But that wasn’t the reason she enjoyed the car. The movie was just really good, plus she’d never seen it before.

And Amity certainly did not cry at the ending (even if she did, Luz would never know).

Now they were in the Picnic Car, populated by friendly stuffed animal denizens. Gizmo had insisted that they join him for lunch. Pokey the giraffe was seated next to Gizmo, snacking on raspberry tarts. They were engaged in conversation as a koala named Max turned his attention to Luz as she launched into an explanation.

“So I think I was around five years old. My mamá dropped me off at my Tío Ramon’s house because she had to run to the hospital for an emergency. At first everything was fine. I watched TV while he made dinner for us. But then, my Tía Maria came home. They greeted each other, and I didn’t pay them much attention until I started to hear what I thought were screams,” Luz rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “My tío was messing around with my tía, tickling her and she was swatting him, telling him to stop between laughs. But I thought she was in trouble. She was calling my name, asking me to help her and I didn’t realize she was kidding. So, I stood from the couch and crept up behind them. When his back was turned, I wrapped my arms around my tío and latched on.”

Amity gave her an incredulous look.

“You-”

“I bit into his back, and wouldn’t let go,” Luz chuckled. “Then the screams really started. My tío pushed me off, and I fell to the floor and pretended to be hurt,” She stood up and placed a hand to her forehead dramatically. “My leg! My leg!,” Luz grinned, and sat back down. “My mamá was not happy when she came to pick me up.”

“...”

“And now Tío Ramon has a scar,” Luz finished, digging into her peanut butter and jelly sandwich once more, as if she’d just commented on the weather.

Amity blinked.

“I see...”

Once they finished lunch, Gizmo pulled out an exit door key from the picnic basket he’d brought with him and handed it to Luz.

“Thank you for joining us for lunch, and sharing that delightful story,” He smiled.

_ Delightful? _

Amity could think of a few other ways to describe Luz’s story, but kept her mouth shut.

“Of course! Thanks for the food! It was great!” Luz rubbed her stomach. “I appreciated the lactose-free options.”

After bidding goodbye to the denizens, and getting directions to the exit door, Luz and Amity set off. A few minutes into their walk, Amity bent down to tie her shoes, and looked up to see Luz standing on top of a small boulder.

“¡Pa’lante!” Luz threw an arm out, pointing to the forest ahead of them.

“Estoy sorprendida que no me suplicaste quedarnos aquí,” Amity raised an eyebrow as she got to her feet. “Bueno, supongo que debería estar agradecida. El Alan Dracula incidente  no es algo que quiera repetir.”

Luz pouted, and jumped down from the rock.

“Amity, I said I was sorry!” She clasped her hands together and leaned close to her friend’s face. “I can say it again, if you want!” She barrelled ahead without waiting for a reply. “Lo siento, ¿me perdonarás?”

Amity whipped her head away from Luz, her heart thumping erratically in her chest.

“Claro que sí,” She cleared her throat. “I was just kidding, y’know.”

Without warning, Luz jumped forward and wrapped her arms around Amity, squeezing her tight. Amity stiffened in Luz’s hold, her cheeks darkening.

“Luz, what did I say about the hugging?” Her voice came out tight.

Luz’s eyes widened and she sprang back from Amity, hands held up apologetically. 

“Sorry! I forgot.” She watched guiltily as Amity smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes and adjusted the collar of her jacket. “I just... really like hugs.”

Amity dug her hands into her pockets, choosing to stare at a spot behind Luz rather than make eye contact.

“It’s okay... just give me a heads up next time.”

Luz nodded eagerly and extended a hand tentatively to her, a shy smile on her face. 

After a moment, Amity took it. Luz started for the exit door once more, and Amity fell into step beside her, doing her best to settle the butterflies erupting in her stomach.

Amity wasn’t used to... this. 

The hugs, holding hands while they walked, a gentle hand on the shoulder to check in, elbow nudges to point out something one of them had seen, all of it. If it was anyone else, Amity wouldn’t tolerate it. Not from Skara and Boscha, who knew she wasn’t one for physical or emotional intimacy. Not from the twins and their supposed ‘good-natured’ teasing and ribbing. Certainly not from her mother, whose cold fingers would rub green dye into her hair every few months in a years old ritual Amity long wished to end. And her father... well, he hadn’t really been around much since she was a kid. So she didn’t have much to work off of. 

Regardless, Luz was an enigma. Never before had she met someone so openly kind, caring, and affectionate towards others. Well, Amity actually didn’t have a solid frame of reference for how Luz interacted with other passengers.

So maybe it was just her?

Amity snatched that thought from her head and promptly set it on fire.

Since her birthday, Amity did her best to adjust to the new level of physical affection Luz had been showing around her. It was difficult, given the confusing and jumbled up mix of emotions Amity felt towards her friend. At times she had felt mild irritation for Luz getting in way too deep into another one of her shenanigans. But since the Autumn car her friend had toned down her antics. 

As they traveled through the train, Amity was happy to exchange quick banter, and delve into literary discussions of  _ The Good Witch Azura  _ as she grew more comfortable around Luz. Yet, in the days following their departure from the Lucky Cat Car, Amity often found herself at a loss for words or clamming up at anything remotely cute or endearing her friend did. 

Because to put it simply, Amity had a major crush on Luz. 

It wasn’t hard for her to put two and two together. She had never felt this way around anyone else before. The nerves that escalated to a fever pitch when Luz stepped too close, the slight flush that rose to her cheeks when Luz flashed her a cheerful grin, and her brain making Windows error noises whenever Luz said something offhandedly that in any other situation Amity would believe was flirting, or a hint of reciprocated feelings.

Take the day after her birthday. 

Luz had caught Amity staring at her while they ate. She put down her food and placed a hand under her chin, barely able to contain the teasing lilt to her voice.

“¿Qué lo que, conejito?” 

And then she winked at her! The audacity! 

Amity had managed to reply with a comment on how she had been distracted by the food Luz had all over her face (and avoided telling her friend she had gotten lost in her sparkling eyes).

The next time it happened was three days ago.

They had been getting ready for bed, and Amity took out her hair tie to lay down next to Luz on the grass. Normally, Luz passed out the moment her head hit the ground and missed Amity’s nightly routine. But this time she was still up.

“Ami!” Luz’s eyes widened, and she reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Amity’s ear. “You look so cute with your hair down!”

Amity had abruptly rolled away from Luz, and all the way down the hill they had chosen to camp out for the night. Luz had scrambled to her feet and chased her down before she could get hurt, much to her utter mortification.

And then there was yesterday.

“Watch out!”

Luz tackled her out of the way of an angry griffin that hadn’t been too pleased to find them next to its nest. The griffin stood protectively over its nestlings and snarled at them. But that had been the last thing on Amity’s mind, as Luz was sprawled on top of her, her face was only centimeters away from her nose. They just stared at each other, not saying a single word. 

It wasn’t until the griffin thundered over, no doubt preparing to unleash its spider-breath, that Luz snapped out of her stupor and sprung to her feet. She hurriedly pulled Amity up and away before they could get mauled. 

When they had reached a safe distance away from the griffin, Luz cupped Amity’s cheeks and began rambling. Her eyes searched her for any injuries and her eyebrows were scrunched together in a worried expression.

“¿Estás bien? Did you get hurt anywhere? ¿Como te sientes? Do you need me to carry you the rest of the way to the exit door?”

That last one had made Amity squeak in surprise and backpedal into a tree, hitting her head hard. Once she remembered how to speak again and convinced Luz that yes, she was fine and no, she didn’t need to be carried (as appealing as it sounded), they continued on their way.

Amity shook her head. There was no way Luz could feel that way towards her. They’d just met two weeks ago. And they didn’t exactly get off to a great start. It was only a week ago that they’d solidified their friendship thanks to Alan Dracula (the deer had gotten on her nerves, but damn if he didn’t know how to bring people together). 

Not to mention that from what Luz had shared, she never really had friends before. Which would explain her lack of knowledge regarding social boundaries (and why Amity had to repeatedly, gently remind Luz that she personally wasn’t a fan of spontaneous hugs).

From what Amity could tell, Luz was a naturally kind and friendly person. So she was probably reading far too much into it. 

Right?

“¡Ya llegamos!” 

Luz’s abrupt exclamation jolted Amity out of her thoughts. She glanced up and sure enough, they were standing in front of the exit door of the Picnic Car. 

“You have the key?” Amity asked.

Luz nodded, slipping her hand out of Amity’s grasp to dig inside her backpack for their ticket out of the train car. After a few moments she pulled it out, waving it in the air with a flourish. Amity huffed in amusement. Luz was always excited to move on to the next car especially since their luck had made a turn for the better as of late. Since the Autumn car, where they’d nearly become petrified wood, they hadn’t run into anything life-threatening. 

Hell, this car had them picnic with stuffed animals to earn the exit door key. While Amity was relieved, she still felt on edge. She knew how quickly things could take a turn for the worse, and was keeping her hopes checked. Luz on the other hand...

“¡Que nítido!” Luz unlocked the door and it swished open. She dropped the key in a basket by the exit and stepped outside, Amity right beside her. “ ¿No es genial que los últimos coches hayan sido fáciles?”

Amity gave her an uneasy look as they made their way across the bridge to the next car.

“Well yeah. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the next car is horrible to compensate for how nice the other ones have been these past few days.”

Luz laughed.

“Always a pessimist, aren’t you Blight?”

Amity raised an eyebrow.

“I prefer the term realist, actually.”

Luz shook her head as they reached the next door.

“Whatever you say,” Luz replied airily. 

Amity opened the door and they stepped into the next car. Before them was a dark tunnel lit by flaming torches lining the walkway. Stone walls covered in lichen surrounded them on all sides. The floor was made of rotted, splintered wood and when Luz took a step forward she yelped as her foot went through the floorboard. Amity caught her by the shoulder and pulled her up. Luz turned her head to face Amity and gave her a sheepish grin.

“Okay I know this looks bad-”

“You think?”

“But I'm sure we'll be just fine!”

Amity gave Luz a withering look.

“If I'm a pessimist then you're a relentless optimist.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“No,” Amity deadpanned. 

“Well, I beg to differ,” Luz folded her arms. “I think it's always better to look on the bright side of things than to always think the worst.” 

Amity opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by a piercing shriek that echoed throughout the car. Luz jumped five feet into the air and clung to Amity’s side. Her blunt fingernails dug into Amity’s arm, but the pain didn’t even register as she trained her eyes ahead, on the alert for any incoming denizens.

After a few minutes with no change in their immediate surroundings, Luz finally released her hold on Amity's arm, not that she was complaining. Luz slipped her hand into Amity’s, squeezing it tightly. 

“Okay,” Luz’s voice was shaky. “Maybe I spoke too soon.”

“Stay close,” Amity replied.

They walked in silence down the passageway. Amity didn’t mind, as the lack of conversation enabled her to be better prepared to face whatever the car threw their way. Luz on the other hand, hated it. She needed a distraction, otherwise her heart would thump out of her chest. She decided to ask about Amity’s family, since her friend had never brought them up in any of their previous conversations.

“Soo,” Luz started awkwardly. “Do you have any siblings?”

Amity cringed.

“...Yes. Two.” 

She didn’t elaborate. 

“Oh cool, I don’t have any siblings.”

“You’re lucky then,” Amity muttered darkly.

Luz frowned.

“What do you mean? Having siblings can’t be that bad, can it?”

“You have no idea,” Amity sighed. “Look, can we talk about something else?”

“Sure!” Luz sensed that this was a sensitive topic for Amity, so she dropped it for now. “Uh...” 

Luz wracked her mind for something to say, but nothing came up. She felt like they had talked about anything and everything in the more than two weeks that they had traveled together. Every conversation topic felt exhausted. But... there was another thing she wanted to know about Amity, and even if she had been shot down just now, she supposed it didn’t hurt to ask. 

“How’d you end up on the train?”

Amity halted in her tracks, and pulled her hand out of Luz’s grasp. She wrapped her arms around herself defensively. Luz felt her heart clench as she noted the sadness in Amity’s eyes, and lowered her hand to her side. 

Not knowing what to do with herself, Luz clutched her wrist and shuffled awkwardly on her feet. After an extended period of silence, Amity tried to speak, but the ground began shaking, interrupting her before she could get any words out.

“Woah!” Luz threw out her hands to maintain her balance. 

Stones began falling from the ceiling behind them, sending plumes of dust into the air. A few of the torches hanging from the walls were knocked to the ground, and fire caught onto the dry floorboards quickly. Smoke filled the air, making their eyes water. 

The tunnel was collapsing. 

“Run!” Amity yelled, taking off deeper into the tunnel. 

Luz was right behind her. Her feet pounded against the floorboards as she tried to outrun the stones and growing fire that threatened to kill them both. She kept her eyes trained ahead, desperately looking for any sign of an exit or escape. So it should’ve been no surprise she tripped over a broken floorboard Amity had jumped over, crashing to the ground. 

Luz hissed in pain as her hands and knees scraped against old wood. She felt a splinter lodge itself into her palm. She tried to pull it out, but was distracted by Amity calling her name.

“Luz!” Amity was about ten feet in ahead of her, and stepped towards her friend.

Almost immediately, the ceiling in front of Luz collapsed. Luz coughed, waving her hand to clear the air of dust. Once she rubbed her eyes, she gasped at the mound of rubble that now blocked the tunnel before her. She winced as she dragged herself to her feet.

“Amity!” Luz reached towards a rock to try and move it, and flinched as it rubbed against the splinter embedded into her skin. “¡Mierda!”

Luz tried to take a deep breath to calm down, but she only managed to inhale smoke. She coughed hard, her throat burning as she gasped for air. The fire was creeping closer, and Luz’s eyes watered in irritation and rising dread as she realized she was stuck, with nowhere to go. She turned back to the pile of rubble and used her uninjured hand to throw rocks behind her, but it was useless. It’d take her hours to break through to the other side.

“Amity!” Luz wheezed. “Can you hear me!” 

No response.

Luz’s head began pounding, and she fell to her knees. She reached for another rock and rested her hand on it, holding it tightly. Tears dripped onto the floor, and Luz choked back a sob as the heat from the growing fire burned her skin. 

Just when Luz thought she was done for, a red outline appeared in the stone wall next to her. As if magic, the stone faded away, revealing a new passageway. Luz’s eyes widened and she crawled towards the exit, too weak to stand. She hesitated as she reached it, glancing over her shoulder to the rubble she knew Amity was behind. After a moment, she grit her teeth and turned away. If she wanted to see Amity again, she’d have to be alive to find her.

Luz heaved herself over the ledge and the passageway closed behind her as the stones in the wall fell back into place. She laid on the ground, catching her breath and wiping the sweat from her brow. The pounding in her head lessened, and she pushed herself up, letting out a yelp as she once again relied on her injured hand. Luz scowled and pried the splinter from her skin carefully, tongue stuck out in concentration. Once she pulled it out, she flicked it away.

“Good riddance.”

She glanced around, examining her new surroundings. She found herself in a circular chamber, with several doorways lining the edges. A large fire brazier placed in the center of the room gave off comforting heat, and Luz pushed herself to her feet and walked towards it. The flames were a brilliant blue, and she was mesmerized by the way they danced in the lowlight. 

“Welcome, passenger.”

Luz screeched and nearly knocked over the brazier as she whipped her head around. 

Before her stood a two headed denizen, one face pointed left and the other right. The denizen wore a sleeveless white tunic that reached their knees, and brown sandals. A golden laurel rested on their heads. The faces were similar, with high cheekbones and a clean cut beard, save for the fact that one had startling green eyes, while the other had dull brown eyes. 

Luz gaped at the denizen. She still wasn’t used to running into new denizens, even after being on the train for nearly a month. 

“Our name is Janus, and we are here to determine your fate,” The denizen crossed their arms. “Before you lie many doorways, different choices. Choose correctly, and you will escape the labyrinth,” A sinister smile crossed the left face of the denizen. “Choose wrong, and you may face something worse than death.” 

The doorways lining the walls shifted, most fading away, leaving two doors behind Janus. On Luz’s left was the black door. On her right was the red door. 

“But, I have narrowed your options so I don’t have to wait too long as you agonize over your decision. After all, there are many other passengers that await my arrival,” Janus cocked their head questioningly. “So, which path will you choose?”

Luz’s mind reeled as she tried to process everything the denizen said. 

“Wh- What?” She shook her head. “I can’t just choose something so important at the drop of a hat! Can’t you help me?”

The right face of Janus raised an eyebrow.

“How would you like for us to assist you?”

“Well, can you tell me more about the doors?” Luz gestured emphatically. “I don’t know anything about them! How am I supposed to pick one knowing nothing?!”

“Hmmm,” Janus snapped their fingers. “Oh, this will be fun.”

Luz felt a chill run down her spine. Something told her whatever Janus had planned wouldn’t be enjoyable, not by a long shot.

“You entered the car with another passenger.” 

Luz flinched. 

How did they know that?

“If you wish to be reunited with her, you must follow the string you will find at the other side of the red door. Be warned, this path is treacherous. Along the way you will run into monsters that will do everything in their power to destroy you. If you make it to the end of the string, you will have to face Grometheus the Fear Bringer to leave the car. And if you fail, yet manage to survive, your passenger number will increase,” Luz gulped. “However, there is another way. The black door is a far easier route to take through the labyrinth. Nothing will try to harm you, and you will reach the exit door safely. In addition, regardless of whatever you may encounter, your passenger number will not increase.”

“What’s the catch?” Luz asked.

“You will not see your friend again, even if you both manage to make it out of the car,” Janus replied. 

Luz nodded, and looked behind the denizen towards the doors that lay ahead of her.

It wasn’t even a question. She knew what she had to choose. 

Luz walked through the red door, and as it closed shut, she could hear Janus laughing.

“Do you think she’ll make it?” The right face asked as their chuckles died down.

“The odds are not in her favor,” The left face answered. “But we shall see.”

\---- ---- ----

Amity walked carefully, her eyes shifting from the string trailing down the passageway to her immediate surroundings. She was in another tunnel. This one had red brick walls and a blackstone floor. Torches lined the path, yet Amity barely felt the heat radiating from them. She shivered and zipped up her jacket. 

Amity felt conflicted. She was worried out of her mind for Luz. She wanted nothing more to see her again, but they had been separated at the worst moment possible. She had been caught off guard by her friend asking about her siblings. 

Truthfully, she hadn’t thought of them for a while. Luz seemed to occupy all of her thoughts as of late, no thanks to her crush-fueled brain. But it was more than that. The way Luz lit up every room she entered, her half-baked attempts at humor, and endearing personality made Amity feel nothing but warmth. 

And then, she had to go ahead and address the elephant in the room by asking a question Amity had purposefully not talked about for weeks. 

Logically speaking, Amity knew she would have to face the reason why she ended up on the train if she ever wanted to leave. There was no other way her passenger number would ever reach zero. But knowing didn’t make it any easier.

After some time, the passageway widened and opened up to an arena. There was a rectangular pit filled with sand, surrounded by wooden benches placed on a raised platform that would provide onlookers with a good view of any activity. Save for a rack of weapons in the corner of the pit, there was nothing else to indicate the presence of any denizens. 

Amity’s eyes fell to the red string, which led across the pit to a door on the other side. She glanced around, but seeing no one she jumped from the platform and into the pit to get to the exit as quickly as she could.

But, the moment her feet touched the ground, a loud roar pierced the air. Amity froze as her eyes landed on a denizen rising from a hidden platform in the middle of the arena. It was dressed in ragged shorts, with white bandages wrapped around its stomach and wrists. The denizen had muscular arms and chest, but any similarity to humans stopped there. Its legs were covered in dark brown, matted fur. Instead of feet, the denizen stood on black hooves. Two curved horns and floppy ears protruded from its head, and as it stared her down, Amity felt a chill run down her spine as amber met scarlet.

The Minotaur huffed, Amity saw foggy breath unfurl from his long snout. The denizen raised a silver war hammer, gripping the bronze handle as he unleashed another roar. Amity held back the urge to scream, and made a run for the weapons rack at the end of the pit. The Minotaur was blocking her only exit, and she’d have to live long enough to get past it and somehow make it out in one piece. 

Behind her, Amity could hear the thundering steps of the Minotaur as it approached. It seemed to be in no rush, which did nothing to dissuade her rising nerves. She reached the mini armory and scanned the weapons laid out in front of her. Swords, knives, spears, bows and arrows and more. While Amity had experience wielding swords thanks to her brief fencing stint, she knew she wouldn’t stand a chance against the Minotaur one on one. 

She had to find a way to delay or distract the denizen long enough to reach the exit. But how?

Thinking quickly, Amity grabbed a round shield and a spear. Just as she slung the shield on her backpack, the Minotaur let out a low growl. She turned around, holding the spear defensively in front of her. The Minotaur was about ten feet away, looking ready to charge. Amity tightened her grip on the spear, planting her feet on the ground. She had an idea, but had no idea if it’d work.

With another roar, the Minotaur took off. As the denizen swung his hammer at Amity’s head, she dove to the side. Rolling to her feet, she threw the spear at the Minotaur and sprinted towards the door without looking back. 

The denizen bellowed in pain, clutching the side of his chest where the spear had left a nasty gash. He threw his hammer towards Amity, who heard it whistling through the air and dove to the ground to avoid getting clobbered in the head. She whipped her head around to see the Minotaur charging at her on all fours. Letting out a yelp, Amity scrambled to her feet and made a mad dash to the door once again. 

While Amity was quick on her feet, the Minotaur was faster. She was 10 yards away from the door when it caught up to her, and she had to dive out of the way once again to avoid being trampled. She tried to make another break to escape, but the Minotaur grabbed her by the shield hanging off her back and held her up in the air. 

The Minotaur turned her towards him, his red eyes narrowing as he did. Acting quickly, Amity wriggled out of the shield straps and dropped to the ground. She dug into her bag and pulled out pepper spray (her mom had insisted she carry it around everywhere she went).

The Minotaur threw the shield to the side and reached for Amity. As he did, she managed to pull the cap off and spray right into his eyes. The denizen let out a wail of pain and fell to his knees. Not wanting to stretch her luck, Amity booked it for the door. She pulled it open and slammed it shut behind her, taking a moment to catch her breath. 

Upon hearing another angry roar from the Minotaur, Amity jumped and hurriedly continued down the tunnel, making sure the door was locked before she set off. 

\---- ---- ----

“Hi-yah!” Luz karate chopped the fairy, turning the skin eating pixie into dust. 

She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, and planted her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

Janus hadn’t been kidding when he said everything on the path of the red string would try to kill her. First she had to face Hephaestus’ automatons (which definitely put a damper on Wall-E being her favorite Disney movie) and just now she had finished fending off corrupted nature spirits. She hoped she wouldn’t have to face the Minotaur. She read enough Greek mythology to know that monster was tied to the story of Daedalus' Labyrinth. 

After taking a few minutes to rest, she picked up her feet and followed the red string to the door at the other end of the grassy field. The labyrinth had a constantly changing environment. Each tunnel led to what looked to be a completely different train car. She had found the automatons in a workshop warehouse, and the only reason she made it out alive was that she managed to dump a gallon of water meant to cool down the engines onto the electrical panel that directed the machines. 

That wasn’t to say she got off scot free. Luz was covered in scrapes, bruises and cuts, and felt utterly exhausted. Nevertheless, she soldiered on, determined to see Amity again. She felt terrible for bringing up the question of how she’d ended up on the train. Gus and Willow had never shared that with her, and while she had been happy to tell her friends about her own predicament, she should've known to not bring it up unless prompted.

Gus had warned her that it could be a touchy subject for passengers, but that advice entered one ear and went out the other when it came to Amity. Luz was stuck feeling frustrated, both at herself for crossing a line when it came to Amity’s boundaries but also still wanting to learn more about her friend. 

She sighed and continued down the dim-lit passageway. This one had torches lining the path, just like all the previous ones. But there were an alarming number of cobwebs along the floor tiles and wall panels. When a small spider dropped down onto Luz’s shoulder, she paid it no mind. Growing up wrangling pet snakes and other animals others would consider too weird or scary, she wasn’t even phased. 

After half an hour of walking, she reached a fork in the path. The tunnel to the left looked almost welcoming, lit by multicolor string lights and had peach painted walls. The tunnel to the right looked far more ominous. It was pitch black save for a lone flickering light Luz made out if she squinted. Of course, the red string led down the latter.

She shifted on her feet and gripped her backpack straps tightly, trying to steady her clammy hands. She coughed to clear her throat, and loosened her shoulders.

“¡Vamos, puedo hacer esto!”

Luz nodded to herself, and set off down the dark tunnel, walking quickly as she could. The sooner she was out of this maze, the better.

It didn’t take long for her to reach the end of the passageway. Before her was a splintered wooden door, with a brass doorknob covered in spiderwebs. Next to the door was a fire brazier, with a few unlit torches in a bucket. Luz took a torch and lit it using the flames. She took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping into a circular chamber so incredible she was at a loss for words. 

Large tapestries covered the walls, interspersed between bronze braziers that held purple flames. The stone floor was cracked with multiple fissures, seemingly held together only by spiderwebs. Luz looked up, noting the ceiling was so high it was lost in the murky gloom of the room.

Strands of web crisscrossed the entire room, some as thin as a needle and others as thick as a pillar. Luz shuddered to think what could have possibly left them there. While she normally wasn’t off put by spiders, the denizens on the train tended to be on a whole other level.

Luz glanced down into one of the fissures in the floor and saw nothing but darkness. Suppressing a shiver, she raised her eyes and noticed that the red string led to a small door at the other end of the room. But, it was completely covered in spiderwebs, making it barely visible. She frowned.

Luz glanced around the chamber, hoping to see anything that could help unravel the webs. Her eyes landed on the tapestries hanging from the walls. They were beautiful. One was a landscape of ancient Greece, with the Pantheon dead center. Another depicted a scene of the Greek gods fighting against the Titans. Next to it was a skyline of what looked to be the Underworld. 

Luz probably could have spent the entire day admiring the tapestries, but she was jarred by a voice speaking from above.

“I see passengers still have a taste for the fine arts.”

Luz’s eyes widened, and looked up. In the webs hanging from the ceiling, something moved. It slowly descended, and as the denizen came into view, Luz was overcome with horror. The spider had the body of a giant black widow, with a red hourglass marking the underside of its abdomen. Luz counted eight spindly legs with curved barbs as big as a kitchen knife. The worst part was the spider’s deformed face. 

What once might have been the face of a human woman was now completely disfigured. The spider’s eyes were black and lidless, with two smaller eyes on its temple. Black mandibles protruded from its mouth, accompanied by needle-like teeth. Thin whiskers popped from the spider’s cheeks. 

Luz fleetingly wished she had remembered to pack bug spray.

But at heart, she knew that it would’ve probably done nothing but anger the spider denizen.

“Hi,” Luz squeaked. “Uh- Don’t mind me! Just making my way through the maze. Uh, I’ll be going now!”

Before she could move, the spider descended right in front of her.

“That is no way to pay respect to the greatest weaver that has ever lived.”

_ Weaver? _

Luz’s brows furrowed. She wracked her brain for any mention of spinweavers in Greek myths, and after a moment, it clicked.

“You’re Arachne.”

Luz didn’t know spiders could smile, and she wished she had never found out.

“Indeed,” Arachne’s voice sounded like an angry buzz. “Fear not, once I am done with you, I will create a beautiful tapestry depicting your death. You will be forever memorialized in my private collection.”

“Oh,” Luz croaked.

She had to think, and think fast. There was no way she could face Arachne in a fight, she’d be snapped into two within seconds. She had to find a way to outsmart the denizen.

From the myth of Arachne and Athena, Luz remembered that Arachne’s pride had been her downfall. An idea sprang to mind.

“As wonderful as that sounds,” Luz’s voice cracked. “I think you’ll find keeping me alive far more useful than killing me!”

Arachne creeped closer, and Luz restrained the urge to turn tail and retreat from where she’d entered the room.

“Do you take me for a fool? I know you are only trying to delay the inevitable,” Arachne’s pincers snapped together, making Luz wince.

“Of course not!” Luz raised her hands placatingly. “I just think your... talents could be used elsewhere! I mean,” She gestured to the walls. “Your tapestries are incredible! Hidden away here, almost no one will ever see them! They deserve to be put on display in every train car!”

“As lovely as that sounds, it will never happen,” Arachne growled. “One-One prioritizes the needs of the passengers over the desires of denizens.”

“That’s where I come in! I bet I could pull a few strings, and convince One-One to display your artwork everywhere.”

Arachne let out a shrill laugh, and Luz balled her hands into fists to keep from slapping them over her ears.

“You?” Arachne moved closer. “You’re just a child!”

“I’m almost 15!” Luz protested. “But, that’s besides the point. You said it yourself, One-One favors passengers over denizens. He has no reason not to listen to me!”

“Hmm...”

“If you make something really incredible, there’s no way he’d say no!”

“Are you questioning the quality of my works?” Arachne hissed, pincers snapping threateningly.

“No!” Luz waved her arms. “Of course not! It’s just, well, I think you’ll need to go all out if you really want to impress the conductor.”

“How so?”

“Well...” Luz shifted on her feet. “What if you made a replica of the train?”

“Not a tapestry?”

“It’d be a real challenge, since you’ve never made anything like it before!” Luz tapped a finger to her lips. “Unless, you’re not up for it...”

“Of course I am! Who do you take me for?” Arachne huffed. “However, it will require a great deal of web, as such the project will take some time to be completed.”

Luz grinned.

“Why don’t you just use the web stringed around the room?”

“It’s much too risky,” Arachne answered. “The web is holding the foundation of the chamber together.”

Luz frowned. She looked down at the floor and took a step forward. As she did, the ground shifted and cracks spread out from where she’d placed her shoe. She carefully readjusted her stance.

“Uh, what if you use the web barrier in front of that door?” Luz pointed across the room, where the red string led her.

“I suppose that will work.”

Luz inwardly cheered, and pressed her lips together to keep herself from smiling.

“Do not get any ideas about escaping, passenger,” Arachne warned. 

“I won’t,” Luz lied, discreetly crossing her index and middle finger behind her back.

Arachne walked across the room and began unraveling the web that obscured the exit. Luz watched anxiously, shifting the flaming torch she was holding from one hand to another. It took several minutes for Arachne to unblock the door, and to Luz’s disappointment, she only moved 20 feet away. Still far too close for her liking.

Luz approached Arachne cautiously, remaining mindful of the cracks in the floor, and became entranced with how her legs worked to weave the web together. 

“Wowza,” Luz mumurmed under her breath.

Arachne’s movements were quick and precise, not a moment was wasted as she began to build the groundwork for her new piece. She began with creating a base layer, simulating the Wasteland, and snipped the thread to begin constructing train tracks. 

Luz watched for a while, waiting for the right time to move. She didn’t want to risk making a break for the door and getting caught by Arachne before she could reach it. She would need to distract her somehow...

Luz remembered the torch she was holding, and a mischievous smile spread across her face.

This was going to be fun.

Being careful to not make much noise, Luz shifted the torch into her right hand and slid her backpack off one shoulder. She unzipped the side pocket with her teeth and reached inside searching for-

_ Aha! _

Luz pulled out a dirty sock and placed it in between her fingers, in the same hand she was holding the torch. Then, she reached inside her backpack again and found an empty plastic water bottle she’d forgotten to refill in the Picnic Car. After checking that Arachne was still focused on her weaving, Luz stuffed one end of the sock into the mouth of the bottle. 

She zipped up her backpack, holding the torch in one hand and her contraption in the other. She took a few more steps towards the exit, moving slowly to not alarm the denizen. Luz rolled her shoulders, and brought the flame of the torch to the end of the sock. 

“How does it look so far?”

Luz nearly dropped the bottle and the torch, and managed to hold onto both after nearly burning her eyebrows off. She held the bottle behind her back as Arachne turned towards her. 

“Looks great!” Luz’s eyes widened as she took in the denizen’s progress. 

The tracks were now completed, and Arachne had started on the engine. The spider nodded approvingly. 

“Good answer,” Arachne turned back towards her art piece. “If you replied with anything less than commendation, I would have killed you.

Luz’s voice died in her throat.

She watched Arachne work for a few more minutes, working up the nerve to make her move.

_ C’mon Luz, you can do this! Just ignite the sock, throw it at the far tapestry, and hope Arachne tries to save it rather than murder you. _

Luz took a shaky breath and squeezed her eyes shut, steeling her resolve.

_ Do it, so you can get out of here alive and see Amity again. _

Luz nodded to herself, opening her eyes and turning towards the corner of the room, where she had entered the chamber. She looked at the tapestry of Ancient Rome, and then back to the torch. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tipped the torch towards her sock-bottle. The moment the sock lit on fire, she hurled it as hard as she could towards the tapestry.

While she may not have been one for sports, the tapestry was so large it was hard to miss. Thankfully, Fortuna was on her side as the flaming bottle collided with the art piece, catching fire instantly. The smoking bottle clattered to the floor, and Arachne whipped her head towards the sound and screeched. Luz turned, and ran as hard as she could towards the exit.

When she was about five feet away from the door, she glanced over her shoulder to see if Arachne was following her, but it seemed like the denizen was preoccupied with trying to save its remaining tapestries before they also burned. Luz reached the door and turned the knob, but it was stuck. She cursed to herself and began throwing her shoulder against the door, trying to get it to open. It wouldn’t budge.

“You will pay for this!” Arachne screamed. 

The room began to heat up, and Luz felt sweat bead her forehead as she tried to open the door once again. It didn’t open.

“C’mon!” Luz groaned. “This is such a cliche way for a protagonist to die! I don’t want to go out in a blaze of glory!”

She removed her hand from the doorknob and leaned towards it, trying to see if there was anything she could do-

Her eyes widened.

It was locked.

She would have taken the time facepalm if she hadn’t been utterly terrified of dying in the next three minutes.

Luz twisted the groove on the knob to unlock the door. She yanked it open and called out to Arachne over her shoulder.

“Gotta go! Bye!”

The last thing Luz heard was the angered screams of the denizen before she slammed the door shut behind her. She took a moment to catch her breath before something banging against the door made her take off down the hallway. She followed the red string, desperately hoping that she would find Amity alive and well at the end of it.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 15 will be up by 2/28/2021 - I got caught up writing an 11k one shot and am currently writing another one this weekend. After I finish it, Zero will be my only wip, and I hope to complete it by summer 2021. :))


	15. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They've promised dreams can come true, but forgot to mention that nightmares are dreams, too." -Oscar Wilde

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! This is NOT the full chapter, but I figured I owed y'all some content since I haven't been able to update for over a month due to working on other fics (also this chapter is gonna be dark, similar to chap 13, and I wasn't in the right mindset at the end of January to write it). 
> 
> That being said, I have college midterms this coming week, you can expect the full chapter sometime in the first two weeks of March.

Amity wiped slobber from her hands, face scrunched up in disgust.

Facing off a pack of hellhounds had been a lot easier than expected, once she sacrificed her leftover chimichurri sandwich from the Picnic car to make a break for the door.

But, she hadn’t made it out completely unscathed. She fended off a hellhound with her legs and its claws left scratches all over her until she was able to pull out her secret weapon. She waved it in front of the demon dog, then threw it as far as she could, away from the door. The hellhounds were left to fight over the sandwich, and Amity was able to escape. 

She inwardly cursed Janus, the conniving denizen that had placed her in this predicament. Once he explained the rules of the string of fate, it was obvious which one she had to choose. So here she was, still sticky from hellhound slobber, feeling completely wiped out. 

As if facing murderous monsters wasn’t enough, she’d also run into several death traps along the way. After nearly being pierced by a flaming arrow sprung by a trick step, Amity carefully watched her feet for anything out of the ordinary (which was a term that had to be used sparingly given the sporadic nature of the train).

She scowled at the red string that floated in front of her, leading her down the endless twist and turns of the labyrinth. If Janus hadn’t insisted following it was her only way out of the maze, she would’ve left the damned thing behind hours ago. 

She shifted her backpack off her shoulder and rummaged around for her water bottle. Amity tilted it to her lips only to discover that it was empty. She bemoaned her bad luck, and shoved the bottle back into her bag, sighing heavily.

While Amity was irritated out of her mind, she remained alert. Anything could happen at any time, and she had to be as ready (or as ready as can be) lest she meet an early end.

And she had plans for a long life ahead of her... Which started with seeing Luz again.

Amity blushed at the thought of seeing her adorable friend’s sweet smile again, and then slapped her cheeks to her face, mentally chiding herself.

_ Focus! Now is not the time to pine after your only friend in this hellscape! _

As if sensing her distress, the string led her around the corner of a corridor, and she came upon another door. Unlike all the others she had encountered, this one felt weirdly familiar. Amity bit her lip, and tried to think of where she’d seen this door before. Then, it hit her.

She was facing the front door to Blight Manor.

How could she have forgotten the intricate woodwork of spirals and swirls cut into polished oak? Amity ran a finger along the wood grains and shivered. There was even a nick in the wood right by the door handle, which Edric had once tried to break when he locked himself out. Amity eyed the brass handle with an unsettling feeling rising in her stomach.

There was no doubt in her mind that whatever lay behind the door would be worse than anything she’d run into before. And considering that she had almost died five times during her journey through the labyrinth, she was not looking forward to it. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and turned the handle.

Amity was greeted with the foyer of Blight Manor. A crystal chandelier was suspended from the ceiling, and two staircases curved around it, leading to the second floor. The floor was polished marble, and past the main foyer she could see the dining room. Amity spun around in a small circle, and was shocked to find the same family portraits that hung from the walls back at the Manor. 

The feeling of unease that had kicked in when she first saw the door grew the longer she stood in the foyer, at a loss of what she’d come upon. It was nothing short of eerie how the train car had been able to recreate Blight Manor perfectly. It was like she was back, save for the glowing number on her palm and the red string leading her up the left hand staircase. 

Amity recalled Janus’ instructions, and remembered that she would find Grometheus, the Fear Bringer at the end of her trek through the car. His name was no doubt inspired by Prometheus, the Titan who was credited with bringing humanity to life in Greek mythology. Given the ominous title, Amity expected nothing good of meeting Grom. As she took in her surroundings, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was close to the end of the string, and felt dread rising in her throat. 

Amity tightened her grip on her backpack straps, and made her way up the stairs, which creaked under her feet. As she reached the second floor, she felt the temperature drop, which made absolutely no sense but she decided not to question it. Her breath came out in a fog, and Amity quickly pulled out and slipped on her jacket, zipping it up to fight off the chill in the air. 

As she did, her hand brushed against the pendant hanging around her neck. Her breath hitched, and she wrapped her hand around it and squeezed it tightly. The pendant was cold, but holding it gave her a surge of comfort that had all but disappeared the moment she’d been separated from Luz.

She had grown used to Luz’s loud, boisterous presence. Always sharing one story or another, or cracking jokes that would have her booed out of any self-respecting comedy club. And before meeting Luz, Lilith had been a constant, steady force that made her feel calm and safe - despite the dangers the train presented. 

Traveling with them by her side, she didn’t feel alone. 

But now? 

She had returned to the source of her insecurities - Blight Manor. The same place she’d been trying to get away from weeks ago, leading her to board the train. Where she didn’t feel seen by anyone. Her parents never listened to her, and her siblings never took her seriously. 

Sure, she had a life outside of the Manor. Amity had friends at school - Boscha and Skara came from stuffy rich families as well, and understood what living under such high expectations could be like. But Amity always felt that there was a distance between them that couldn’t be breached. 

She had been encouraged by her parents to befriend them after Willow moved away, since they worked with their parents. But Boscha and Skara had been friends since they were children, so Amity initially felt like an intruder of sorts in their dynamic. 

Boscha had been initially hostile, but Skara managed to smooth things over quite quickly, encouraging her friend to give Amity a chance. Once she did, they accepted her into their friendship group. They ate lunch together at school, and hung out together after school and on the weekends. Even so, she always felt like a third wheel around them. The reason why became clear enough when Skara asked out Boscha a few months back.

Amity was happy for them, but couldn’t help but feel left out when they spent time together, or abandoned her to do couple things. Whatever the hell that entailed.

(If the stories Skara shared with her were anything to go by, their dates mostly consisted of Boscha being flustered as hell while she teased her).

Amity smiled at the thought, but it dropped as soon as she remembered where she was. She sighed, and walked up to a family portrait hanging on the wall. She traced the polished wooden frame with her finger, eyes lingering on the younger version of herself seated between Edric and Emira. Her hair was freshly dyed green, just the week before her mother had rubbed the dye into her hair, complimenting her on how lovely the color looked on her.

Amity ran a hand through her hair, holding a strand between her fingers, before she scowled and flicked it away. Sometimes, she forgot that her hair color wasn’t even her choice. It was just another decision made on her behalf by her parents. One would think that years of dying their hair would make them grow accustomed to it, but Amity never did. 

With a sigh, she turned away from the portrait and continued deeper into the manor, not knowing the nightmares that lay within.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is gonna be the last time I postpone the chap. Once I finish Sing Me to Sleep I'll be focusing on completing Zero. I will change the upload date once I finish the full chapter and post it then. Stay tuned :))

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/comments feed hungry authors. :))  
> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/godless_glasses), [tumblr](https://lexa-alycia.tumblr.com), [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/godless.glasses/)
> 
> To quote my friend RainbowJeff, if you make fanart of this fic I will literally marry you.


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